He Ate My Heart
by pandorabox82
Summary: When Erin is viciously attacked in the parking garage one night, Penelope helps her pick up the pieces. But will they be able to stop the monster before he strikes once more?
1. Chapter 1

It had been a thoroughly long and horrible week and it was only Monday. The only thing she had to look forward to was Edward's sweet embrace. The recent budget meeting had not gone well, and though she'd agreed to a cap on her salary and reduced benefits, she'd still had to cut one person from the BAU. In the end, she'd decided on the tech girl, Gina. Hell's bells, she couldn't even remember the woman's last name.

When she got to her car, she noticed Dr. Reid was still in the building, since she'd had to park next to his jalopy that morning. All of a sudden, Erin felt as if someone were staring at her. Looking around, she saw no one in the near-deserted car park and she shook her head. _It was so easy to spook oneself, doing the job we do_, she thought as she dug her keys out of her purse.

"Dammit!" she swore as she dropped her purse, spilling its contents everywhere. She knelt on the ground and began to pick up her scattered belongings, never noticing the shadow of movement until it was upon her. She looked up as a rough hand grabbed her shoulder and suppressed a scream as she caught sight of the knife in the masked man's other hand. "What do you want?" she asked fearfully, hating the tremor in her voice.

He shook his head as he backhanded her and the force of the blow knocked her head into the rim of her tire. Dazedly, she heard the tearing of cloth and felt the cool October air on her suddenly bare skin. Erin tried to push him off her, tried to get away, but her head hurt so, and she felt like she couldn't get a good footing on anything around her.

He brought the knife up against the artery of her neck and she stilled, knowing if he were to cut her there, she'd bleed out before anyone could find her. "This is what uppity bitches like you deserve, to be brought down a peg or two," the man hissed out as he raped her. She refused to give in to her tears, unwilling to let him have such power over her. Instead, she stared into his eyes, her face contorted into a rictus of pain as he abused her unwilling body.

The attack seemed to last for hours, but the rational portion of Erin's brain knew that was merely the dilation of time. The last thing she remembered before passing out was the terrible feel of cold steel ripping the soft skin of her stomach.

She woke up sometime later to the sound of voices coming near her. Erin went to sit up, only to moan lowly as an excruciating pain ripped through her body. "Did you hear that, Reid?" she heard Ms. Garcia ask and was mortified when her eyes filled up with tears. Erin finally managed to get upright and frantically pulled the ruins of her clothing about her, trying to shiled her body from them.

"Who's there?" Dr. Reid asked as he came around to the other side of his car. She heard him suck in a low breath and turned her face away, not wanting to show him her humiliation. "Garcia, come here, quickly."

The other woman's shoes came into view and Erin tried to scrunch herself up into a tighter ball, hissing in pain. "Oh, honey, who did this to you?" the younger woman asked as she sank to her knees next to Erin. "Reid, get security to call 911, we'll need an ambulance here. And then get a forensics team down here so they can gather evidence. Our team will handle the investigation."

"Okay." Erin could hear the question in his voice and shuddered. It shouldn't hurt her heart so, that he thought her beneath this level of compassion from Ms. Garcia.

"Get going, now," she hissed wrapping her arms around Erin's shoulders and pulling her against her chest. "Honey, I promise I won't leave you. Do you know who did this?"

Erin shook her head slowly, the very action shooting needles of pain through her brain. "I can do this alone, Ms. Garcia. You don't need to worry about me." The words sounded feeble to her own ears and she found herself relaxing against the other woman as she rubbed her shoulder gently.

The paramedics came at the same time Agent Hotchner and his team appeared on the scene. Erin felt so exposed and she unconsciously turned into Ms. Garcia, trying to hide from their smug, pitying gazes. "Thank you," she heard Ms. Garcia say as she wrapped something warm around her shoulders, helping her to stand. She felt her legs wobble and then the paramedic was lifting her up, carrying her over to the waiting ambulance.

Ms. Garcia climbed in the back with them and sat next to the young man. "Erin, you should lie down. You were bleeding back there."

Erin found herself heeding Ms. Garcia's suggestion and she stared up at the roof of the vehicle as they started on their way. She heard Ms. Garcia gasp as the blanket was peeled away, baring her flesh to all there. "What is it?"

"Nothing, Erin."

"Don't lie to me, Ms. Garcia!" she snapped, bitter tears springing to her eyes. "I know he cut me. How bad is it?"

"It's not that the wound is bad," the other woman replied as she took hold of her hand. "It's the message he left."

"Oh." Erin felt all her defenses crumble in that moment and she clenched Penelope's hand tightly. The drive dragged on and by the time they arrived, she was exhausted. The ER doctor tried to shoo Penelope away as she examined the wounds on Erin's stomach, but she was having none of that.

"I said I wouldn't leave her, and I won't. Does she need surgery to close those gashes?"

"No," the doctor replied, taking a step back.

"Then I stay." She positioned herself at Erin's head and smoothed her hair. "Honey, did he hit your forehead?"

"No, I think that's where I hit the rim of my tire. My head still hurts a bit from it."

"We'll need to do a CT scan on your head, then, and make sure there's nothing going on there. You can come with us, but you can't be in that room, Ma'am."

Penelope nodded and helped Erin into a sterile gown before they wheeled her down to CT. "I'll be out here in this other room, watching and waiting. Don't be afraid, Erin. You're not alone."

Erin carefully nodded and then felt Penelope touch her face gently. "Thank you, Penelope." As the assistant helped her onto the cold bed, she shuddered. How was she going to tell Edward what had happened? He'd want to do something, fix it somehow, and there was no fixing this. Tears tracked down her cheeks, wetting her hair, and for some strange reason she found herself needing to hear Penelope's soothing voice once more.

They wheeled her back down to a private room and she found Penelope sitting in a chair, holding on to both their purses, a sad smile on her lips. "Erin, you're back! I just talked to Hotch. He needs to have someone take pictures of your wounds and have a nurse administer the rape kit. Do you want Emily to take the pictures, or JJ?"

Erin thought for a moment. "Neither, I want you to take the pictures. Please?" She hated the pleading in her voice and waited for Penelope to answer her question.

"If that's what you want, Erin. I'll be right back." Penelope gently touched her face once more before leaving the room for a minute. She returned, holding tightly to a camera, a nurse on her heels. "May I remove the gown, Erin?" The tenderness in Penelope's voice brought her close to tears once more as she nodded.

With infinite care, Penelope took the gown off, setting it to one side as she quickly took the necessary pictures. After the nurse had collected all the evidence from her body, she dressed the wounds on her stomach. With that accomplished, Penelope redressed Erin and took the final pictures of Erin's face. "Will you give the camera to Agent Hotchner, please?" Penelope asked the nurse before she left, handing it over. "Honey, do you need me to call anyone for you? They're not going to release you until tomorrow afternoon. You probably have a concussion, and they want to keep an eye on it."

"Would you call my husband, Edward? Don't, don't let him know about the attack, just tell him that I fell at work and need to be here for observation." She pulled the thin blanket up under her arms and turned to look at the wall, listening as Penelope made the call.

The door to her room opened once more and she flipped over to face the door. Dr. Reid was standing there, his hands in his pockets. "Ah, Chief Strauss, I've been sent in to take your statement. Do you feel up to talking to me now?" She nodded once and he pulled out a small pad of paper. "Okay, so, what happened this evening?"

"I went out to my car to go home. I felt eyes on me, but saw no one around and then managed to drop my purse, spilling everything. That's when he attacked." She stopped, blinking hard. Penelope reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing tightly. Dr. Reid rolled his eyes slightly at the tender touch and Erin felt herself stiffen. "How much detail do you need of what came next?"

"As much as you can give me," he said coldly.

"Reid! Be gentle. You know better than to be like this." Penelope rubbed her thumb over the back of Erin's hand, trying to soothe her.

"It's okay, Penelope. I've never been the kindest to your team. This doesn't faze me."

"But it should! Just because you have to make tough decisions we don't understand doesn't mean he can treat you as less than. You matter to Edward." Penelope swiped at her cheeks and glared at Dr. Reid. "Be nice."

He shrugged and didn't look at Erin as he continued. "What happened next?"

"He tore at my clothes and raped me, holding a knife to my neck, against the artery. When he'd finished, he carved my stomach with said knife."

"Did he say anything to you during the attack?"

"Yes, that I deserved what was happening to me." She sighed. "And before you ask, no, I did not recognize his voice."

"Did he have any distinguishable features?"

"No, he wore a mask and gloves."

"And do you have anyone at the BAU who wouldn't want to hurt you?"

She heard Penelope gasp and shook her head carefully. "David Rossi and Aaron Hotchner. They are honorable men. Would that I could say the same for you." Erin looked into Penelope's eyes and saw the encouraging smile on her face. "If you have nothing further, I wish to rest now."

"Yes, Ma'am." He left the room, shutting the door with a little more force than necessary,

"Erin, I'm so sorry he treated you like that." Penelope smoothed her hair back from her face. "Edward said to tell you he loves you."

"Why do you even care, Penelope?" She touched her stomach, wincing as she did so.

"You need someone to care for you. That's more than enough for me. May I?" Penelope pulled out a comb from her purse and smiled. Erin nodded slightly and scooted forward, letting the other woman sit behind her. The gently pulling motion tugged at her heart and she felt the first sobs tear out of her throat as she covered her mouth with her hand. "Honey?"

"Did I, did I bring this on myself because I'm such a bitch to everyone?" It was a pitiful question, one she never thought she'd ask. Carefully, Penelope wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her head on her shoulder.

"Oh, Erin, no. No one deserves to be raped and scarred." Erin turned, her stomach screaming in agony as she did so, to throw her arms around Penelope, sobbing on her shoulder. The woman rubbed her back, murmuring sweet words of encouragement in her ear as she cried. "Do you want me to stay the night?"

"Yes, please." Her voice sounded so broken, so lost, to her own ears and this called forth a fresh bout of weeping. "Why aren't I strong enough to do this alone?" she whispered.

"It's okay to need someone once in a while, especially now. Do you have any nightly rituals I could help you with? That might ease your heart a little."

"Yes. Edward and I are reading through the Bible. We were going to start the book of Ruth tonight. But you don't have to help me with that. I can't impose me beliefs on you." She was thoroughly babbling now, a trait she hated in others as much as she did in herself.

"It's okay, I was raised Methodist, for my parents hippy ways." She pulled out an iPad from her bag and let her fingers dance over the screen. "Do you want to lean back against me while I read? It would be more comfortable for you."

Erin did so and curled up as best she could against Penelope, listening to the familiar story of Ruth pour forth from the other woman's lips. There was something about the way she read Ruth's plea to Naomi, as if she were speaking directly to Erin. "Oh, Penelope," she sighed as she nodded off, feeling her eyes grow heavy as the adrenaline gave way to exhaustion. Before she fell asleep, she felt Penelope kiss her forehead softly.

She woke up in a panic the next morning and felt someone touch her shoulder gently. Blindly, she fell into open arms, the horror of the previous evening flooding her brain. "Shh, Erin, you're okay. No one can hurt you here. The nurse said they'd be by with breakfast in about fifteen minutes."

Erin pulled back slightly to look into Penelope's soft brown eyes. "You stayed."

"I promised I would." Slowly, the other woman ran her thumb beneath Erin's eyes, whisking away the tears there. "Your vitals were strong, so they should be releasing you in a few hours. I sent JJ to get you some clothes. I figured you were about a size six. I know you wear a lot of muted colors, everyone in the BAU does, but I told her to get something pretty and colorful." She smiled sweetly at Erin, squeezing her hand.

"You didn't have to do all this, Ms. Garcia."

"Last night, it was Penelope. I prefer that, or Penny, or Ruth, if you so wish. I can't just close the curtain between us so easily. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Erin looked away from her, overcome by emotion. "Though why you'd want to be friends with someone like me…"

"Everyone needs compassion, Erin. Did you see the bouquet of flowers Edward sent you?" She looked to where Penelope was pointing and smiled when she saw the pink tulips. "He has great taste."

"Who are the other flowers from?"

"Me. I wanted you to have something lovely to wake up to." Someone knocked on the door and Erin drew her hand back quickly, holding the blanket up close to her chest. The door opened, revealing an orderly with a tray of food. Once he'd set up everything, he left and Erin forced herself to relax once more.

"Afraid of my own shadow," she muttered lowly as she pulled the lid off the food. The smell nauseated her and she pushed the tray away. "I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat something, honey. They won't release you until you do. And we can stop for real food on the way home." Reluctantly, Erin nodded and picked at the scrambled eggs, managing to get down three bites before her stomach threatened to rebel. She sipped at the water they'd included and then broke the rest of the food into pieces, making it look like she'd eaten more than she had.

"May I come in?" They both looked towards the familiar voice and Penelope smiled brightly, nodding. "I tried to get you something loose fitting that wouldn't bother your stomach, Ma'am. This is going to sound so trite, but I hope you're feeling better this morning."

Erin cocked her head to one side, trying to get a read on Agent Jareau. The woman looked at her, biting her lip a little as she gave her a pained smile. "Thank you, Agent Jareau. I appreciate the sentiment."

She nodded and handed over the bag from Fiona before hurriedly escaping the room. Erin pulled out a long sleeved blouse and held it up to her chest. The soft pink color matched her skin tone well and she smiled as she stroked the soft silk. Then she took out a dark, dusky rose suede skirt, and felt as if she would cry once more. It didn't matter if Penelope had coerced the kindness from Agent Jareau. All that mattered was that she had something lovely to wear home.

"I told her colorful."

"This is perfect, Penny." Puzzled at the odd weight of the supposedly empty bag, Erin reached in once more and pulled out a matching bra and panty set. She blushed a little and set the clothes aside, reaching out for Penelope's hand. "I want to go home."

"That can be arranged." The doctor came in and made some notations on her chart. "Everything looks in order here. As soon as you're dressed, you're free to leave. I'll send a nurse by in twenty minutes to wheel you down to the front lobby." Erin nodded and swung her feet off the bed the moment he'd left.

It took nearly that long to get her dressed. Though Penelope had tried to shield her from the mirror, Erin still caught a glimpse of the awful word written on her stomach. "That will scar, won't it? Not deep enough to hurt me badly, and yet deep enough to destroy me."

"No, Erin. This wound, this scar, does not define you. Don't let him label you so." Quick tears sprang up in Penelope's eyes and she let them fall as she hugged Erin. She returned the embrace, wishing it were Edward's arms around her.

By the time they pulled into her driveway, she was exhausted and in pain. Handing Penelope the keys, she let the other woman open the door and lead her inside. The house was eerily silent and she suddenly realized why. "He's gone."

"What, Erin?"

"He had to go to Japan on business today. I'll be alone for the next two weeks."

"What about your kids?"

"Alexandra is studying at Bryn Mawr, Joseph is away at Michigan Tech, and Caroline is finishing high school at a boarding school in upstate New York. But it's okay, I can make it through this."

"Starting tomorrow, maybe. I won't let you be alone tonight. Honey, you went through a very serious trauma." Erin sighed and nodded, knowing Penelope wouldn't take no for an answer. "Wonderful. Let's go find something to make for lunch." The other woman took hold of her hand, tugging her along. She hurried to catch up and hesitantly wrapped an arm around Penelope's waist, smiling at her softly. It was easy to see why everyone loved the vivacious woman. She made it so easy to feel free and at home with her.

Penelope pulled her a little closer, smiling into her face. Erin felt her heart lift a little, knowing someone was there for her. "I believe I have pumpkin pie in the fridge."

"Homemade?"

"Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way." Her smile widened and they continued on into the kitchen, Penelope chattering away in her ear.


	2. Chapter 2

Erin woke with a start, feeling the cold press of steel against her neck once more. Looking wildly around the room, she saw no one there and she burst into tears. _Edward was still in Japan_, she remembered. _It's only been two days since I came home._ Looking at the clock, she saw it was two in the morning, and knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. Hoping she wasn't overstepping, she pulled her cellphone close to her heart, breathing deeply as she dialed.

"Hello?"

Her voice was groggy and sounded upset. "Penelope, it's Erin."

"Honey, is everything okay?"

The instant concern in her voice brought fresh tears to her eyes. "I had a nightmare. I could feel the knife tearing my skin, piercing my neck. I-I…" Her voice gave out to her tears and she wept softly into the phone.

"You're all right, Erin. He's not there now; no one is. No one can hurt you in your own home. Do you want me to read to you, until you fall asleep? That seemed to relax you in the hospital."

"You'd do that for me?" It still didn't seem possible that she had a friend in Penelope.

"Of course I would, honey. You need someone to look after you, and who better than me? I rule through a different kind of fear and can run off anyone who even looks at you the wrong way." Erin suppressed a giggle and Penelope laughed lightly. "Now, where do I begin?"

"We were going to begin Ecclesiastes tonight."

"Okay. Put me on speaker phone and I'll start reading until you're asleep once more." Erin set the phone on the pillow next to her and settled back into bed. "The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem: 'Futile! Futile!' laments the Teacher, 'Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!' What benefit do people get from all the effort which they expend on earth? A generation comes and a generation goes…"

The next time she woke up, it was to her alarm blaring. Erin sat up and rubbed her eyes, trying to chase away the bone deep exhaustion that still ate at her brain. Stumbling over to her closet, she pulled out the outfit Agent Jareau had bought her, not wanting to put anything tight on her stomach yet.

After picking out underwear, she padded over to the bathroom and peeled off her loose nightgown before stepping into the shower and letting the warm water wash across her back. Carefully, she turned slightly to wet a washcloth and then ran it over the wounds on her stomach, hissing slightly as a dull ache filled her body. Bending, she picked up her shampoo and quickly washed her hair, trying not to cry out as the lifting motion pulled at the newly forming scars.

As she dried off, she thought about the day ahead of her. Erin knew she'd have quite a bit of paperwork to catch up on and too many files to review. Pulling her clothes around her like armor, she tried to set her face into the usual expression of cool haughtiness she usually wore. It wouldn't come, so she settled for a flat, blank, stare.

Erin tried to style her hair in such a way that it would cover the hideous bruise on her forehead and found she could hide most of it. Allowing herself a small smile, she stepped out of the bathroom only to hear her phone ring. She ran over to the bedside phone and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Ohayo, my lovely one. How's the head this morning?"

"Ed! I'm feeling much better now that you called. Are the negotiations going well?"

"As well as can be expected. We're waiting for a table, so I thought I'd see if you were still home. I miss you."

"I miss you, too, honey. I never had the chance to see you off for this trip. When are you coming back to me?"

"If things go better than planned, in a week. Otherwise, it won't be for another twelve days. Damn, I have to get going. They're seating us now. I love you, Erin."

"I love you, too, Edward." She hung up and fought to keep from crying. She had to stay strong, for Ed. Squaring her shoulders, she made her way downstairs and opened the front door to get the newspaper. Sitting on her front porch, next to the paper, was a medium sized cardboard box. Her name was scrawled across the top and she felt her heart sink.

Stepping back inside, Erin grabbed her gun off the hall table and went outside, peering down her street both ways. There was no movement at this hour of the morning, but she still felt uneasy. As she went back to her porch, she picked up the package and brought it into the kitchen with her. Though she had no appetite now, she forced herself to eat a piece of toast with strawberry jam while her coffee brewed.

On her way out, she picked the box up and put it next to her in the car. "Maybe Penelope will help me open it," she said aloud as she backed out of the garage. Agent Anderson had been nice enough to deliver both her car and Penelope's to the house the other day. He'd changed her radio from NPR to a hard rock station and she wrinkled her nose, quickly pressing her preset. Erin found she was too distracted to listen to the news that morning and switched to the classical station.

She cleared security and went up to her office, dropping off her coat and briefcase as she waved to Holly, her assistant. "There have been several calls for you, Ma'am. Are you going to start returning them now?"

"No, Holly. I have to go see Agent Hotchner and Ms. Garcia this morning. I should be back in an hour or so. Hold all my calls and leave the messages on my desk with the files I need to review," Erin said as she picked up the box once more. Holly nodded, frowning slightly, and Erin shook her head. The girl had no right to pass judgment on her. She swept out of the room and made her way over to the bullpen.

All eyes were on her the moment she opened the door and she tried to check the involuntary gulp as her mind wondered who else knew what had happened to her. Looking over to where Agent Morgan's desk was, she saw Penelope smiling warmly at her, the only welcoming face among the lot of them. Relaxing ever so slightly, she made her way towards the younger woman.

"Good morning, Chief Strauss. What can I help you with?" she asked as she stood.

"Yes, I believe I need to speak with Agent Hotchner today, about this. Is he in his office?"

Penelope went to speak when Agent Morgan pre-empted her. "Yes, he is, Ma'am. We'll take you to him." He stood as well and placed his hand protectively on the small of her back. Erin felt her brow wrinkle at the familiarity he displayed. He just smiled beguilingly at her, leading them up the steps to Agent Hotchner's office.

Without preamble, he opened the door, letting them in. Aaron looked up as Penelope closed the door and she watched a flash of empathy flicker over his face. Erin unconsciously touched her stomach and he winced with her. "What can I do you today?"

"When I went for the paper this morning, I found this on my porch. I didn't want to open it at home." Erin handed the box over to Aaron and then primly took a seat in one of the chairs. Penelope put a hand on her shoulder and she reached up to cover it, squeezing lightly. "Ever since…well, I've been jumpy. Would you do the honors?"

Aaron nodded and pulled out his keys, using one to slit the tape and he pulled back the flaps of the box. "There's an envelope here with your name on it." As he took it out, he sucked in a deep breath, locking eyes with Agent Morgan. "Please, open the envelope, Erin."

She nodded and Penelope took a seat next to her, trying to smile encouragingly at her. Slipping her thumbnail beneath the flap, she made quick work of the seal and opened the envelope. She pulled out a single sheet of notebook paper. _Don't think you can ever escape me, bitch. I've marked you as mine._ She felt the blood drain from her face as her body went numb. "Honey, what's wrong?" Penelope asked as she scooted a little closer to Erin.

"Here." Erin handed over the paper to the other woman and pulled out some photos from the envelope. She knew she was about to lose control of her fragile grip on her emotions and shut her eyes, trying to calm her racing heart. "Please, God, please," she said lowly, the others fading away.

"Oh, Wisp," she heard Penelope murmur as the pictures tumbled to the floor. As the first sob broke free from her throat, she heard Agent Morgan close the blinds, shutting them off from the rest of the BAU. Penelope knelt in front of her and took hold of her hands, tugging her forward. It would be so easy to collapse into Penelope's arms. So easy to accept the kindness the woman offered. As Penelope closed her into a tight hug, she let herself cry, regardless of the men watching.

Once she'd regained her composure, she managed to look at Aaron. He was looking at her oddly, and she thought she detected the glint of tears in his eyes. Clearing his throat, he stood up and came to her side. "I'm sorry. You don't need to see the rest of the box." His hand came to rest on her shoulder and she desperately tried not to flinch from his touch.

"Hotch, man, I do not like this bastard. To taunt his victim like this is just cruel."

"His victim has a name, and she's sitting right here, Derek." There was a surprising bite in Penelope's voice as she wiped the tears from Erin's face. "Please address her by her name. Do you need anything, Erin?"

"Maybe some water." Her voice cracked and she bit her lip, looking into Penelope's soft brown eyes.

"You heard the lady, Hot Stuff. Get her some water, please." Agent Morgan nodded and left the room, a bemused smile on his lips.

"He's right, I don't like the unsub, either. Erin, this is going to sound awkward, but do you have anyone at home?"

She sat back in the chair and stared at him. "Ed's in Tokyo right now on business, so it's just me at the house. You don't think?" She stopped herself, remembering what they did for a living. "Of course, you've seen this sort of thing before. Do I need to be very worried, Aaron?"

"I would be. The DNA results haven't come back yet, but if it is one of our own, their DNA probably wouldn't be in the system. And I can't afford to put one of my team on protection detail for you, that would tip him off and could get you hurt." Aaron reclined against his desk, his brow furrowed. "But I want to keep you safe."

"Why would you want to help Ice Queen Strauss?" she asked, a derisive note in her voice.

"Erin, you were violated and hurt terribly. I understand." He paused and looked her deep in the eye and she could see he meant every word. "Please, let us help you."

"Hotch, I could do it. I know I'm not qualified to shoot a gun, but I can watch over Erin. We could make up an excuse, like I'm helping you on a special assignment. And I can be discreet, Erin. I promise." Penelope took hold of Erin's hand once more, smiling excitedly. "What do you say, Hotch?"

"That might work. Are you comfortable with that, Erin?"

She looked over at Penelope and then back to Aaron. "That would be fine." Agent Morgan returned with a bottle of Fiji water. "Thank you, Agent Morgan. I appreciate the kindness," she said softly as she took the bottle from his hand. Erin cracked the seal and took a sip, letting her gaze fall on Penelope once more.

"Hotch, which one of us is staying with Erin until we find this creep? I'm not letting you leave this office, Ma'am, without one of us." He smiled at her, but there was a fierce determination in his eyes that truly warmed her heart.

"We already took care of that while you were gone, Sugar. I'm Erin's new shadow."

"Good." Morgan copied Aaron's stance and leaned against the desk. "You can't ask for a better woman to keep you safe. She has direct access to us and to a red cell team. If he so much as looks at you, one of us will know in a heartbeat."

Erin nodded and reached up to wipe her eyes clear. Aaron pulled out his handkerchief and handed it over to her. She blew her nose delicately and wiped the smudged makeup from her face. "Do I look presentable?" she asked Penelope, and the other woman nodded. "Good. I have work to catch up on form yesterday. If you'll excuse me." Erin stood and went over to the door, opening it wide. "Thank you for agreeing to this, Agent Hotchner. I'll make certain to return her to you when I'm finished."

Erin didn't wait for his reply, or to see if Penelope was following her. All she could focus on was getting out of the bullpen and back to the safety of her office. She'd been too exposed in the open space. Hearing the clicking of heels behind her, she slowed her movement, letting Penelope catch up. In silent tandem they made their way to her office and she closed the door to her inner sanctum in Holly's face.

"Feel free to speak in here, Penelope. The walls are sound proof." Erin sat behind her desk and flipped through her messages, finding nothing important to return. Sighing, she opened the first file and began to review the case. As she immersed herself in the work, she heard a phone beep.

"That's me, Erin. We've a new case to brief. I'll be back as soon as we're done, okay?" Looking up, Erin saw she was smiling earnestly at her and she nodded. "See you in about thirty minutes then."

Erin nodded once more absently, going back to the case in hand. Finding nothing amiss, she signed off on it and moved on to the next one. The minutes passed and she lost herself in her work. "Ms. Garcia, you can't just barge in there. You need to be announced."

"Chief Strauss is expecting me, Holly. Why don't you go back to surfing the internet on company time. I'm sure that's much more important than your job." Penelope slammed the door, cutting off Holly's indignant reply. "Erin, you need to get yourself a new assistant. She's basically useless." Penelope set her laptop down on the coffee table and began to set up.

"Was she really on the internet?"

"Facebook, in fact. I think she was playing Bejewelled, but I'm not sure. I couldn't get a good look before she switched back to a spread sheet. She's good, though not good enough to fool the Oracle."

Erin found herself laughing lowly and Penelope grinned up at her. As the day went on, she grew accustomed to having another person in her office. At one, Holly peeked her head in. "What do you want for lunch today, Ma'am?"

"Sesame chicken and two egg rolls. Penelope, what do you want?"

"Ooh, Chinese? I'll have beef chow mien."

"Get the large rice as well, Holly."

"Yes, Ma'am." The woman left the room and Erin stood, stretching. Making her way over to Penelope's side, she sat and put her feet against the edge of the table.

"I never thanked you for reading to me this morning. I hate to be this weak, this vulnerable."

"You're not weak. Don't let the bastard eat your heart, Erin." Penelope looked up from her search to peer into Erin's eyes. "That's what he wants, for you to think of yourself as less, to question yourself, and each time you do, he wins a little. By reaching out to me, you make yourself stronger." Penelope fell silent and reached out her right hand to Erin and she clasped it.

"Thank you, Penelope." She let go of her hand to wrap her arms around her knees, her chin coming to rest on top. "What case is Agent Hotchner and his team working on?"

"A kidnapping in Maryland. It's beginning to look like the mother didn't want to hand over her son to the custodial parent. Things are kind of sticky, since the father is in Cuba right now, guarding prisoners."

"I'm surprised NCIS wasn't called in."

"No one knew of the connection until I found it. The last think the stepmother knew was they were in Maryland. When she went to meet them at the local mall for the handoff, the mother never showed."

"That's awful. Has there been any activity on her credit cards?"

"No, which means they're smart enough to travel under the radar. The roadblocks went up about an hour ago, but we're not sure what our clock is at,:

Erin sucked in a harsh breath. "You don't think the mother would hurt her son?"

"We don't know. She's made vague threats before, according to the stepmother, but never followed through. And he's such a cute little guy." Penelope pulled up a picture of the boy and Erin smiled. "His name is Logan Edwards. He's the same age as Jack."

"Agent Hotchner must be beside himself."

"Yeah. And without a direction to search in, we don't have much hope. The field office in Lansing dispatched some agents to watch the mother's house in Rockford, but it would take hours for them to get back there." They both sighed as Holly came through the door with their food.

"Thank you, Holly, that will be all." Erin dismissed her with her hand and focused on the computer screen once more as she opened the container, digging into her lunch. "Is the grandmother with them?"

"We don't know, there's been no response when we've tried to call her, but according to Mary Edwards, the paternal grandmother, that's normal." Penelope relaxed against the back of the couch as she ate. A sudden, frantic, beeping from the laptop had them both looking at the screen eagerly.

"What is it, Penelope?"

"There was just some activity reported on her Mastercard in Raleigh. That's, what, five hours south of where the team is now? Here, you call Hotch while I notify the local leos." Erin nodded and took Penelope's cell phone, looking up Aaron's number in her call log.

"Penelope?" he asked after it rang two times.

"No, it's Erin. She wanted me to update you on the case. There's been activity on a credit card registered to an Amanda Greene in Raleigh, North Carolina. She's talking to the locals, but you should know what's going on. What do you want Penelope to do next?"

"Tell her to keep an eye on the Greene woman and let us know of her movements. Obviously, she doesn't know we're watching her so closely. We'll get Logan back alive." She smiled at the determination in his voice. "Hotchner out."

Erin set the phone on the table and looked over at Penelope. "If I know Agent Hotchner, he'll be on the next flight to Raleigh. He wants you to keep tabs on the Greene woman."

Penelope nodded. "The state police are alerting every branch of their men to set up roadblocks and check for silver Malibu's coming past them. Hopefully, we'll know more in the next couple of hours."

By five, though, they'd heard nothing from the others and Erin began to pack the remaining files in her briefcase. "I'm heading home now. I'll see you in the morning."

"That is so not happening, Erin. When Hotch let me be your shadow, he didn't mean just here. I'm to follow you home, and until Edward returns, stay with you. By taunting you so viciously, the unsub is making this very personal. I couldn't…"

"You couldn't what?" Erin asked, needing to know what she assumed would be Penelope's answer.

"I couldn't let him hurt you again. Something inside me would die if that happened. I don't know how you regard me, but I cannot help but admire and regard you highly. You're able to make difficult decisions and still have a spark of humanity. I know if he were to touch you again, something good in you would be extinguished." A few tears rolled down her cheeks and she reached out to wipe them away.

"I regard you very highly, Penelope. There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother." Erin smiled. "Or in this case, a sister." Penelope nodded as she packed up quickly, following Erin out the door and to the parking garage. "I'll see you at home in a few minutes, then," Erin said as she got in her car. "You can park on the cement next to our garage."

Penelope nodded and Erin pulled out, heading home with a smile on her face.


	3. Chapter 3

Erin felt the bed dip and a soft arm wrapped around her waist as she came to full wakefulness. Turning, she looked up into the shining green eyes of her husband. "Ed! You're home!"

"I am, darling. Did you miss me?"

"Of course I did. But why are you home early?" She snuggled close to him, letting his warmth melt into her.

"I was worried about you. A concussion is nothing to mess around with, sweetheart." He kissed her forehead gently and Erin felt warm tears prickle her eyes. "But we have a guest here. Are they looking after you?"

"Sort of. She's shadowing me for a while, until Aaron Hotchner's team can find the unsub who…" Her words faded away as she realized what she was about to tell her husband.

"Erin, what really happened that night?" Ed cupped her face, running his thumb across her cheekbone.

"Would you turn the bedside lamp on?" As he rolled over to do as she asked, Erin pulled off her nightie as she sat up, trying not to shudder. He turned around to face her, and she gave in to her tears. "The night that Penelope called you, I was r-raped. I truly did have a concussion, as he knocked my head into the rim of my tire. He marked me, Eddie, and this won't even go away." She took hold of his hand and ran it down to her stomach, letting him feel the scabs there.

"Oh, my love, I would have stayed if I'd known."

"I'd honestly forgotten about your business trip. And Penelope took such good care of me. I've never been the nicest person at work and yet she defended me to her colleagues and was so sweet to me. Edward?"

"Yes?"

"Do you still love me?" Erin clutched the nightgown tightly, not looking into his eyes, fearing that she would see disgust or shame there. After all, she'd let the monster eat her heart. When he didn't reply right away, she let herself weep, feeling her heart shatter. And then his hands were wiping away her tears. Erin felt the bed shift as Ed sat up as well before bending over her stomach.

"I will love you until all the seas run dry, Erin." He placed a feather light kiss on the scabs and scars beginning to form. "I will love you until we die." Another soft kiss on the ugly blot on her stomach. "I would love you even if you only had one arm or two heads." He kissed her belly once more. "You are my heart and soul, Erin Joy. Do not let him eat your heart like this."

"Penelope told me the same thing."

"She's a wise woman." Ed stretched out along her body, cuddling her close. "May I show you how beautiful you are to me? Or would it terrify you too much?" She shrugged, and he kissed her lips softly. She relaxed into the embrace, letting him run his hands down her sides to find the swell of her bottom, pulling her even closer to him. The buttons of his shirt dug painfully into her wounds and she cried out against his lips. "Honey?"

"Your shirt." She brought her hands up and began to undo the buttons, pushing the garment off his shoulders. "Hold me close?"

"Always." Erin heard him fumble with his belt and zipper, and then he was naked next to her. "I love you so much, darling." He kissed her sweetly and she felt his arousal against her leg.

Taking a deep breath, she looked into his eyes, certain she would disappoint him. "I don't know if I can do this, Eddie. I'm so sorry." He kissed her once more and lifted his hands to cup her breasts, gently running his thumbs over her nipples. Her body responded to his touch, and she sighed, a smile spreading lazily across her face. She purred lowly as Ed kissed her deeply, melting into the touch.

"Go back to sleep, love. I'll be content with this tonight."

She nodded and plastered herself tightly to her husband. Her head came to rest on his chest and her eyes fluttered closed as he rubbed her back. "I love you so much, Edward," she whispered before giving in to sleep once more.

A few hours later, her alarm went off and she stirred, hitting the off button and sitting up. Ed was still sound asleep and she smiled gently. He still loved her and found her desirable. Tonight, she'd be ready for him, no matter what happened. Humming lowly, she kissed his lips before slipping out of bed. She padded over to their closet and pulled out a navy linen sheath dress and a white sweater.

Erin dressed, watching Ed breathe, wishing she could stay there with him. Heading over to her vanity, she styled her hair, pulling it back in an elegant French twist. A quiet knocking came at the door and she looked over. "Come in," she said, knowing her husband slept like a rock. The door opened and Penelope stepped into the room.

She looked over at the bed and her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, I didn't realize…" She started to back out of the room but Erin beckoned her in. Penelope took a seat on the edge of the bench, watching Erin in the mirror. "Did he come home last night, then?"

"Uh huh. He'll probably sleep until noon. But at least he's home."

"You love him very much, don't you?" Penelope touched her shoulder and Erin smiled widely.

"It's that obvious, huh? We've almost made it to twenty five years." Erin watched her face soften as she thought about her years with Ed. She locked eyes with Penelope in the mirror. "Please, don't let anyone know how much you've seen. No one's ever dared get this close to me before, I haven't let anyone in from the Bureau."

"I can't make a promise that I won't slip up at work. And Boss Man and Morgan know I like you. The cat may already be out of the bag." Penelope rested her head on Erin's shoulder. "But I won't intentionally let anyone know the depth of compassion and love that lies within you." Erin rested her head against Penelope's, sighing slightly.

"You just had to be sweet, didn't you, Ms. Garcia?" Erin watched Penelope smile at the teasing lilt that had crept in her voice. "Now, let's get breakfast. Suddenly, I'm starving."

As Penelope quickly whipped up French toast for them, Erin went to get the morning paper. She was not surprised to see another box sitting on her doorstep, though she was perturbed by it. It was becoming clear to Erin that the man had a vendetta against her for some reason. Shivering, she picked up the box and headed to the kitchen.

"Do you want coffee this morning before we head in?" Penelope asked as she plated the food. When Erin didn't answer right away, she turned and saw the box in her hands. "There's another one. I'm sick of playing with this bastard. Hopefully, he left evidence on the box that will nail him to the wall."

Erin nodded mutely and sat down at the table. Penelope put their food down and sat next to her, grabbing her hand. "Penny, I'm frightened. Truly and honestly frightened. What have I become that someone would see fit to hurt me like this?"

"Have you ever made an easy decision?" Penelope asked, squeezing her hand before letting go to dig into her food.

"Lately? No. Ever since Agent Prentiss returned, I've found myself questioning things. A lot of what I say and do is dictated from above."

"That's what I thought. You're mellowing, Erin, not becoming a worse person." Penelope smiled and Erin found herself returning the expression. After quickly praying, Erin tucked in to her food, listening to her friend talk about some recent adventure she'd been on with Agent Morgan.

"Aren't you still with that Lynch fellow?" Erin asked as they did the dishes.

"Well, yeah, but Derek's my best friend. We'll always be together."

Erin felt her heart ache strangely at the declaration. Ed was her best friend, and if she was truthful with herself, her only friend up until recently. Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to smile at Penelope, but felt her lower lip wobble. "Are you ready to head out?" she finally said, clasping her hands together behind her back.

Penelope nodded and then pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh Wisp," she murmured, rubbing her back. "Let's go to work so we can focus on something other than ourselves." Erin nodded against her shoulder and let the other woman wrap an arm around her waist. She picked up the box and her keys while Penelope grabbed her briefcase along with their purses on the way out.

As she followed Penelope in, she wondered about the nickname she'd been given. If she remembered rightly from one of Agent Hotchner's reviews, the woman only gave nicknames to her inner circle of friends. She hummed softly along to the song on the radio, her heart at peace over being drawn into Penelope's orbit.

Once at the Academy, she parked next to Penelope, knowing the other woman would raise a fuss if she didn't. "I'm going to run my briefcase and purse to my office and then meet you in the bullpen so we can tell Agent Hotchner about the new package."

"I can go with you," was her instant reply, and Erin found herself giggling slightly, masking the sound with a cough.

"I'll be fine, Penelope. The unsub would not be so stupid as to do anything at the beginning of the work day with all these armed agents milling about. If you don't see me in twenty minutes, then you may worry." Penelope nodded and they went their separate ways. Holly was behind her desk, typing away at something and she looked up as Erin entered the office.

"Good morning, Chief Strauss. How are you today?"

"Fine, Holly, I'm fine. What are you working on?"

"Just finishing up an email to Bobby. He's been assigned to Fort Bragg." Her assistant looked up at her sheepishly. "Penelope was right, I have been on Facebook a lot lately." Holly bit her lip as she looked up at her. "Sorry."

Erin found herself smiling at the girl. "As long as you get your work done first, Holly."

"Oh, thank you, Ma'am!" Holly looked ready to burst into tears and Erin nodded, going into her office and setting her briefcase and purse on her desk. Still holding the box, she put her keys on her finger and shut the door. "Where are you going?"

"I have to see Agent Hotchner's team. I should be back in an hour or so."

"All right, I'll leave any messages for you on your desk."

"Thank you." Erin made her way to the bullpen, thinking about how she'd have to school her emotions to the contents of the box. While she knew Penelope would treat her kindly, she was still not certain of the others. Taking a deep breath, she looked around and saw that Agent Hotchner's team was gathered in the war room.

Squaring her shoulders, she climbed the stairs, ignoring the hushed whispers behind her. Erin knew it was highly unusual for her to put in an appearance twice in as many days. Normally, she summoned others to her. She stopped in front of the door, taking another deep breath, trying to calm the pounding of her heart.

Everyone was facing Penelope and so didn't see or hear her come in. "Look, I'm not saying be her best friend, just do not be unkind. This unsub is messing with her. It wasn't enough to commit the physical act of rape. He has to torture her for some unknown reason." Penelope frowned slightly, swiping at her cheeks.

"Unknown? Really, Garcia, you have no idea why anyone might want to rape a bitch like her?"

"Spence…"

"Really, JJ, you want to defend the Ice Queen, too? She's the one that let you go to the DoD, remember?"

"Yes, she did let that happen. But no one deserves to be raped. You saw the pictures of how he brutalized her."

"The only wounds she had were the knife marks on her stomach. She didn't fight back, she didn't try to get away."

"Reid," Penelope hissed, but he steamrolled over her.

"By letting it happen to her, she was acknowledging, in some small way, that she deserved it."

"Spencer Reid! I don't care if your fucking headaches have made you more irritable, more judgmental; you never imply a woman deserved to be raped! Why are you victim blaming her?" Penelope looked ready to hurt him and in that second, she looked up at Erin, righteous anger and hurt mixing in her gaze.

Erin knew the blood had drained from her face by that time and she felt the package slip from her hands to hit the ground. Everyone in the room turned suddenly to look at her. "I-I didn't know you were there, Ma'am."

"Indeed you didn't, Dr. Reid. Though I found you proposition that, just because I did not have any defensive wounds on my body, I let this happen to me, preposterous. You've forgotten the unsub ran my head into the rim of my tire which gave me a concussion and then he held a knife to my carotid artery. If I had fought back, I would have bled out in moments."

"I-I'm sorry…"

"A sorry isn't going to cut it, Dr. Reid. I valued my life more than one act of brutality." She swept her gaze over the room and found only Aaron and Penelope would look at her. She pointed at the floor. "That is the package he left for me this morning. If you'll excuse me, I suddenly find the air in here oppressive." She turned and opened the door, pausing to look over the bullpen. There would not be a single person there who felt differently than Dr. Reid.

The tenuous filament of her control came close to snapping as she took a deep breath and began to walk down the short hall to the stairs. "Chief Strauss, wait! I have that information you wanted ready. Before you leave, would you head to my office?" Erin turned to see Penelope standing in the doorway of the war room, her brow furrowed.

"Certainly, Ms. Garcia. I was hoping that would be ready today." She turned back and went over to said office, waiting for Penelope to join her. The moment the door was shut, Penelope pulled Erin into a tight hug and she let herself cry. Somehow, they made it over to the sofa and she curled into her friend, her heart breaking into thousands of little pieces.

"Wisp, honey, you're going to be okay. Edward's home and in the end, it's his opinion that matters to you." Erin felt her lips press against her head and she wept all the harder.

"Everyone thinks like Dr. Reid, don't they? I deserved this."

Penelope pulled away from Erin to look into her eyes. "Erin Strauss, I don't ever want to hear you say that about yourself ever again, You are loved by a wonderful man, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Would he think any less of you for doing what you had to, to survive?"

"No."

"Then why are letting the monster _and_ Dr. Reid eat your heart and your brain?"

"I don't know, Penelope." Erin shook her head, her lip still quivering. "He hurt me so badly. It wasn't just the rape or the disfigurement. It's just, if two people believe me deserving of this Hell, maybe they're right on some level."

"That's what they want you to believe. Strong, powerful women are always reviled and by planting the seeds of doubt in your mind, they destroy your belief in yourself." Erin fell back against Penelope, letting her take her hair down to run her fingers through it. She felt her eyes close heavily under the tender motions. "Erin?"

"Yes, Penelope?"

"I'm not going to leave your side. You need a friend like me."

"Has the Oracle spoken?"

"Yes, she has. And you have to listen to the Oracle." They fell silent and Erin began to calm down a little. Her heart was strangely at ease with the younger woman, and she wondered if this would be the good from the bad. "Would you like me to read to you again?"

"Yes, but not from where we left off. Are you familiar with the faith chapter of Hebrews?" Penelope nodded. "I'd like to hear that right now, please."

Penelope dug out her iPad and opened the app, quickly calling up book and chapter. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see. For by it the people of old received God's commendation…" As the door opened, both women looked up, Penelope's hand tightening on her shoulder.

"Kitten, is Erin still her?" David came in, closing the door behind him. "Oh, there you two are. May I join you?" Hesitantly, Erin nodded and sat up, not looking at him.

"Can we help you, Agent Rossi?" Penelope asked.

"Why so formal, Penelope?"

"Because I don't know why you're here." She pulled Erin closer to her and a smile flickered across Erin's face.

"I came to see how Erin was doing. Reid said some very cruel things and I don't want you to think we all have the same opinion that he has. Is Ed taking care of you?"

"He just got home last night from a business trip, actually." Erin dared to look at him and saw an understanding smile on his face.

"Why don't you go home and spend some time with him?"

"I have things to do, David."

"Nothing is more important than healing, Erin. If Shepperd gives you grief about taking a personal day, I'll deal with him." He held out his hand and Erin slid hers atop it, letting him squeeze her hand gently. "I saw the pictures, bella. I can only imagine what you went through, but I know it was Hell. You did nothing to deserve that."

To her horror, a few tears tracked down her face and he softly wiped them away. "Thank you, David."

"This is not your cross to bear alone. I promise you that. Kitten, take her home. That's an order."

'Yes, Sir." Dave stood and helped them to their feet. Penelope picked up her purse and ushered them over to the door.

"But my purse…."

"I'll send Holly over with that later today." Erin nodded, knowing she'd get nowhere by protesting any more. "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask." He made his to his office and Erin looked around the bullpen and locked eyes with Agent Anderson. He was looking at her oddly and she unconsciously stepped closer to Penelope, unnerved by him.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, Penelope." As they walked past Agent Hotchner's office, she peeked in and saw he was sternly talking to Dr. Reid, who was listening with a bored look on his face. "Let's take the stairs," she said impulsively as they exited the bullpen.

"Okay. Just let me slip off my shoes. Heels and stairs make my feet angry." Erin smiled and waited for her friend. As they went down the stairwell, she gained speed, feeling as if she were trying to outrun her demons. "Erin, wait for me!"

At the last landing, she stopped, leaning against the wall to catch her breath. "I won."

"That's because you're fast. Now, if we were having a coding race, I'd win hands down." She raised her arms above her head and breathed in deeply several times. "Okay, I don't feel like I'm going to die anymore. Let's get you home."

The drive was silent, something Erin was comfortable with. As Penelope turned down her road, she turned to her and asked, "Will you stay for lunch? Ed's going to sleep for some time yet, and I don't want to be alone right now."

Penelope grinned at her. "I was planning on staying even if you didn't ask. I'm still your shadow, after all."

"Then may God cause the sun always to shine," Erin replied, hoping Penelope would understand what she'd left unspoken.

"From our lips to His ears, Wisp."


	4. Chapter 4

They sat down on the sofa in the den and Erin kicked off her shoes, bringing up her knees to her chest so she could rest her cheek against them. "You know, by being good at what we do, it makes us better criminals. I have to wonder, then…"

"Why he didn't wear a condom?" Erin nodded slightly. "He's not in the system. Hotch had them rush the results, and his DNA is a blank slate mystery to us. Yet he knew that his prints were, so he wore gloves, and he knew you'd recognize him, hence the mask. Once we know who it is, though, I will hunt him down and make him pay."

"I'm sorry, but I don't think you could hurt a fly, honey." Penelope grinned at her. "What?"

"You called me honey. That makes me happy. I know you don't have many people you're close to at work, so I'm special to you. And this totally means we can rule together." Erin found herself smiling despite the crap day she'd had so far. "So, where did you meet Ed?" Penelope held a pillow tightly to her chest as she turned to focus on Erin.

"In church, actually. I had just moved here to attend the Academy and had been church shopping, trying to find one that felt like home to me. I slipped into one of the pews at First Baptist and after the opening set of hymns, the pastor announced that we should greet one another." She smiled a little wider as she remembered Ed's face as he turned to look at her that first Sunday.

"You can't leave me hanging. What happened next?"

"Ed turned around from the pew in front of me and said hello. After the service, he invited me to the college and career group that was meeting later in the evening. By the end of the night, we'd made plans for coffee on Tuesday, and then the rest was history. We were married six months after we met."

"You were that certain of him?" Penelope asked, leaning forward as she grinned.

"I was. I loved him more than anything in my life and he loved me enough to let me finish the Academy and carry on with my career. I would have loved to be a profiler like Dave, but shortly before I would have gone on my first case in the field, I found out I was carrying Allie. My supervisor put my name on the fast track for a promotion, seeing how good I was with administrative details, and I've been Section Chief Ice Queen ever since."

"May I ask why you're so brusque at work? That's not who you really are."

"When I came off maternity leave, there were whispers floating around the bullpen that the only reason I got my promotion was because I happened to be female. That rankled me, so I began putting up more and more defenses while I was there. And then the act became easy, too easy. I almost lost Ed."

"What?"

"I was stupid and let my work attitude bleed into my home life. That's why I had Aaron take over for me during June and July. We took a two week vacation to Venice. When I realized what I almost lost…" Penelope reached out and took hold of her hand.

"But you worked everything out and he's still here. I wish I was that sure Kevin was perfect for me. Maybe I compare him too much to Morgan."

Erin threaded her fingers through Penelope's and hummed lowly. "Have you thought about telling Agent Morgan how you really feel?"

"I don't know what you mean, Wisp. Besides, the frat rules say we couldn't get together anyway."

"I see." Erin wanted to say something more, but her phone rang and she answered it quickly so as not to wake Ed up. It was the one noise he couldn't sleep through. "Hello?"

"I would have expected you not to rely on Agent Hotchner's team. It's not like any of them like you. Garcia just pities you, like she pities all weak, helpless, pathetic creatures."

"Who are you?" she asked, curling her free hand into her skirt.

"I suppose you could call me the great monster slayer. I won't quit until I destroy you."

"You've already done that by leaving me vulnerable to people who despise me." Erin heard her voice creep up higher and shook her head. Penelope scooted closer to her and set her hand on Erin's shoulder. "What else is left?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, _my dear_. I have much in store for you, just you wait." Erin heard the dull noise of a disconnected call and she dropped the phone as if it burned her.

"Who was that, Erin?"

"I, I think it was him, Penelope. It sounded like the monster. He's not done yet. Or perhaps I'll never be free of him. If he can just call like this, he'll always be able to set me on edge, make me look over my shoulder. He can just eat my heart and brain whenever he wants." She could feel the tears roll down her face and Penelope enveloped her in a tender embrace.

"Did you happen to recognize his voice this time around?"

"No, but I think he works in the bullpen. He knows I came to Agent Hotchner for help." Erin curled up into a tight ball and let the sobs come out. Despite the seed of doubt the unsub had tried to plant, she knew Penelope truly cared for her, as she hadn't left her side. She wouldn't tell tales out of turn.

Erin could feel Penelope playing with her hair as she regained control of her emotions. "Do you have caller ID?"

"No. If it's my work, they call my cell, and if it's for Ed, they call his. The only home calls we normally get are from the children or telemarketers."

"Then I'll have to see what the phone company can dig up for us." Penelope reached out and picked up the handset, quickly dialing a number. "Yes, hello, this is Penelope Garcia, technical analyst with the FBI. Someone just called this number, and I need to know who. Yes, I have a pen and paper handy. Okay, go." She scrawled down the ten digit number and thanked the person on the other end.

Erin looked at the number. "That seems really familiar."

"I know, I think it's one of ours." Penelope whipped out her cellphone and pulled up an app. Tapping in the phone number, she bit her lip as she waited for the information to come through. "Dammit, it is one of our numbers. Our main number. There's not a single way for me to get any closer than that."

"So we're no closer than when we started." Erin sighed and leaned against Penelope. "Do you mind my doing this?"

"No, I read a study once that said we need seventeen meaningful touches a day. We just need to catch you up." Penelope smiled down into Erin's upturned face. "I am thoroughly captivated by you, Erin."

"I'm boring."

"No, you're not. Dude, you make grown men shake in their boots. And you have an amazing man who loves you."

"Even though I'm scarred. I told Ed last night, when he slipped into bed with me." Erin took a deep breath. "I showed him the wounds he left me with, and Ed kissed them as if they were the most lovely thing about me. As if they had always been a part of me. I love him so much, Penelope."

"Lucky duck. But tell me about Venice. Kev and I were supposed to go there, once, but he keeps putting it off. I don't think we'll ever go."

Erin sat up and looked at Penelope. "Is it all right if I don't like Mr. Lynch?"

"You wouldn't be the first of my friends not to like him. JJ says he's too controlling."

"Why would she say that?"

Penelope looked away from her to stare at the floor. "Maybe he is. He likes my hair blonde, so I went back to blonde. And he doesn't like me calling Morgan so much, so I haven't recently. He wants to buy a farm with me."

"Let me guess, he wants it to be way out in the country, so far both of you are cut off from civilization and all your friends back home. Honey, hasn't JJ or Agent Prentiss told you to break things off with him?"

"No. Why? It's not like he abuses me."

"But in a way, he is. By telling you what to do and who to talk to and wanting to isolate you from the world, he's trying to make sure you belong to him and him alone. I've seen similar stories come across my desk, Penny, and they did not end well."

Penelope had started to cry while she spoke and Erin opened her arms to the other woman. "But he loves me. What other guy would love someone like me?"

"What guy wouldn't love a brilliant, beautiful, dedicated, and loyal, woman such as yourself? I'd be so happy if Joshua brought home someone like you. If Kevin's been telling you otherwise, he's lying and I think you know that in your heart of hearts." Penelope nodded against her chest and Erin smoothed her hair as they sat silently.

"But Morgan only brings home the lollipop heads," Penelope said suddenly.

"Have they lasted long?"

"Just a night."

"There's your answer, then." Erin's stomach gurgled loudly and Penelope giggled. "I didn't realize it had gotten quite so late. We should head into the kitchen to make lunch."

"I'll do that. You go see if Ed is up."

They stood and Penelope went over to the kitchen while Erin climbed the stairs. Opening their bedroom door, she saw Ed was laying on his back, all sprawled out across the bed. "Eddie, it's time to wake up. Penelope's making lunch." He groaned and turned away from her voice, still sound asleep. Walking over to the bed, she touched his shoulder. "Eddie."

His eyes opened and he smiled at her. "Erin, you're home already? What time is it?"

"About noon. I came home early."

"Why?"

"I missed you."

"There's more to it than that, Erin Joy. I thought we were going to be honest with each other?"

"We are." She took a deep breath. "The man who raped me has not left me alone. So far, he's left two packages for me at the house. That's why Penelope is here, she's watching over me. I just don't want you to worry about me."

"You're the love of my life, Erin. How can I not worry about you? Come here." He opened his arms and she fell onto him, burying her head in his shoulder. His fingers fumbled with the buttons on her sweater, pushing it off her shoulders before unzipping her dress and tugging the garment down. "I want you to know how beautiful you are to me."

"But we've a guest in the house."

"I know." He pulled her out of bed and brought her over to the full length mirror that hung on their closet door. Unclasping her bra, he let it fall to the floor as he cupped her full breasts. "You are perfect to me, Erin Joy. Every part of you is utterly lovely because it belongs to you. Every inch of you is worth worrying over because you love me." He kissed her neck and she leaned back against him, relishing the feel of skin on skin.

"It hurt so badly, Ed."

"This?" he asked as he skimmed his fingers over the scars and scabs.

"No, when he raped me. He just tore open my clothes and vi-violated me. I didn't realize sex could hurt so badly."

"But it wasn't sex, love. It was rape. When we make love, does it hurt?"

"Not one bit. You know my body and what is pleasurable for me. I sing when you touch me." She took hold of his hand and brought it up to her breast once more. "When you touch me here, I feel like my veins are on fire." Dragging his hand lower, Erin brought him down to her panty-covered mound. "You do things to me that make me feel like I'm the most precious thing you own."

"I don't own you, my darling." He slipped his hand beneath the silk of her panties, spreading his fingers wide to curl around in the hair that covered her vulva. She arched back against him, feeling her body respond to his touches. "Do you want me to finish this?"

Absently, she nodded and widened her stance, letting his fingers seek out her clit. Her body bowed under his gentle touches and he quickly brought her to orgasm. "Oh, Edward," she gasped out, her body slumping against his. "Tonight, I'll reciprocate. I can't, not with Penelope here and roaming around."

He kissed her cheek and she giggled, feeling like a naughty child about to get caught doing something she shouldn't. "Do you feel a little better now?"

"Yes. You love me, right?"

"Until all the seas run dry, my Erin Joy." She turned in his arms, hugging him tightly. "Nothing can ever destroy the love I have for you. Our time in Venice, and then here alone, proved that. I will not let this monster destroy us. I'm sure your friend feels the same way." He kissed the top of her head and then let her go,

Erin bend and picked up her bra, putting it back on. "Will you hand me my dress, Ed?"

He walked over to the bed and tossed her the dress. As she put it on and then fixed her hair, he got dressed and together they went down to the kitchen. The heavenly scent of macaroni and cheese wafted out as she opened the door. "Oh good, you two are just in time. The pies are just ready to come out of the oven."

"Macaroni and cheese pies?" Erin asked as she took out three plates from the cupboard.

"Uh huh. I figured you and I needed comfort food this afternoon, and I've been dying to try out this recipe from the Deen brothers." The buzzer rang on the oven and Penelope put on the oven mitt, taking out the pan and setting it atop the stove. "Do you have a trivet I could use? I don't want to burn the table."

Ed opened a drawer and set the short stand in the middle of the kitchen table. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Edward Strauss."

Penelope shook his hand. "I'm Penelope Garcia."

"I hear you've become close friends with my wife in my absence. Thank you."

"I'm finding the pleasure to be all mine. She's incredibly sweet." Erin wrapped her arm around Penelope's waist, pulling her close. "One would be hard pressed not to love her."

"That's why I chose her."

"I thought I chose you, sweetheart." She smiled at her husband and took a seat at the table. Penelope sat on her right, while Ed sat on her left. Her husband held out his hand and she took it, clasping tightly and holding out her other hand to Penelope, who quickly threaded her fingers with Erin's.

"Lord, thank you for blessing our home with dear friends who can read the value of a heart. May You continue to heal Erin and cleave her all the more tightly to You, to me, and to Penelope. Bless this food to our bodies and let us have a wonderful day together. In Thy name we pray. Amen."

"Amen," Erin echoed, letting go of their hands to dish out the food. "Would you like to go see a movie after lunch? I think _Dream House_ is still playing."

"Ooh, a dark movie theatre, alone with my wife. Do you think we could sneak some hanky-panky in under our chaperone's nose?" Ed winked at Erin and she blushed.

"I suppose the chaperone can sit a row ahead of the lovebirds and try to focus on the movie," Penelope replied.

"Why don't you see if you can get Agent Morgan to beg off work early and come with us? It's no fun seeing a spooky movie by yourself. It would almost be like a double date." Erin smiled encouragingly at Penelope.

"O-okay." They ate and while she and Ed did the dishes, she listened to Penelope's side of the phone conversation. "Hey, Sugar. Yeah, she's doing a lot better. I think that would be really appreciated. Listen, since there's no new case to go out on, you have a free weekend. Do you want to beg off work early and come with us to see a movie? _Dream House_. Really? Awesome! We'll see you at the Regal in forty-five minutes, then."

Erin turned from the sink to look at Penelope. "Well?"

Penelope blushed. "Friends go together to the movies all the time." Her phone rang and she frowned. "It's Kevin. One moment, I'm sorry. Yeah, Kev? I have to do some things with Chief Strauss this afternoon. Yes, one of them actually does include seeing a movie with Morgan. Wait, how did? Are you tapping into my cell phone line? Oh god, maybe Erin is right. That's it, we, we're done. No. No! You know what? Fuck you Lynch!" She hung up and hurled the phone at the floor, bursting into tears.

"Honey, let's go the living room for a moment." Gently, Erin guided Penelope into the other room and they sat heavily on the sofa. Ed followed them, holding the pieces of Penelope's phone. "What's going on?"

"You were right, Wisp. He's a controlling jerk. He's been listening to my private, personal, call. That's the only thing that can explain how he knows we're going to the movies." Penelope looked confused and terrified, and Erin rubbed her back absently.

"Does he have a key to your home?" Ed asked, trying to stay neutral, though Erin could tell he was furious with the other man. Penelope nodded. "Well, it looks like you're spending another night with us. Tomorrow, I'll put new locks on your door."

"Everything happens for a reason, doesn't it, Wisp?" Penelope whispered, hugging Erin tightly.

"Yes." Erin surprised herself by kissing the side of Penelope's head, and the other woman sighed. "We should probably get going. We'll stop and get a new phone for you after the movie." Penelope nodded and they stood up, leaving the house to go to the mall.

Penelope and Agent Morgan sat in front of them during the movie, giving Erin the ability to watch them interact. She knew love when she saw it, and those two had it. Penelope put up the arm rest of her chair halfway through to snuggle up close to the 'friend' she cared so deeply for, and Erin smiled. Somehow, there had to be a way to get them together.

While Penelope and Ed picked out a new phone, her husband just as much of a techie as her friend, she stood close to Agent Morgan. "She's free now. She broke up with that bastard."

"When did this happen?"

"About three minutes after you called, Agent Morgan."

"Derek, please." He smiled and Erin knew then why Penelope had fallen for him. He was gorgeous when he smiled. "What happened?"

"It seems he's been tapping her cell phone and listening to conversations he shouldn't. Hence the need for a new phone."

"She broke the old one, didn't she?" Erin nodded. "I'll keep my eye out for him at work. I hate to say this, but I'm glad she's shadowing you. You can protect her a little more than I could."

Erin smiled up at him. "Thank you, Derek." He slipped his arm around her shoulder and she found herself relaxing into him.

"Two friends in one week, Erin Joy?" Ed asked as he ambled up to them, an easy grin on his face. Erin grinned back at him.

"I guess I'm blessed."

"That you are, my dear." Erin stepped into his open arm and Penelope joined them moments later.

"Well, that fit of anger set me back three hundred dollars. But I have a new number and I'll be able to keep tabs on if he tries that again," she said as she wrapped her arm around Derek's waist. "I'll call you tomorrow from my new digits?"

"Sounds good to me, sweetheart." He kissed the side of her head and let go of her. "We should do this more often. You're fun to be around." Erin smiled and then found herself squeaking in surprise as Derek stepped forward and hugged her quickly. "If you can, be like this at work. Kindness suits you."

"I'll try, Derek." They went their separate way and Erin found herself humming with joy. "I'm going to sit in the back with Penny on the way home, okay?"

"Certainly, Erin." She wrapped her arm around Ed's waist as they walked and he pulled her close. "I love you, honey."

"I love you, too." Holding out her hand, she let Penelope take it, needing the connection with her friend as well.


	5. Chapter 5

"It's been a wonderful weekend, Erin. Thank you for letting me stay. It just creeped me out to see him sitting outside my apartment building on Saturday afternoon."

"You're always welcome here, Penelope. Even after they catch the monster." Erin opened the front door to get the paper and gasped as she looked at her front door. "Honey, will you call a forensics team out to the house? We're going to be late to work this morning."

"What's that, Erin? Oh my god, he was here again?" Penelope slung her arm around Erin's waist and looked at the door. "You know the truth, right? You are not a slut."

"I know, Penny. Now get forensics on the phone." While she made the call, Erin absently fingered the petals of a bright yellow lily. The flowers will still fresh, despite her having gotten them on Friday when they'd returned to the house. The card had read – _With my deepest apologies, Dr. Reid_.

"They'll be here in about thirty minutes. We might as well eat while we wait. What sounds good this morning?"

"Toast and jam sounds good." Erin shut the door, cringing a little at the thought of what her neighbors might think. Squaring her shoulders, she made her way into the kitchen and pulled out the toaster while Penelope got the bread out from the fridge. "Grab out the jar of raspberry jam, too, Penny."

"Ooh, that does sound yummy." Erin popped four slices of bread into the toaster and then took out plates, setting them next to the machine. "Should I get out milk or orange juice?"

"Milk, please." Penelope took out the jug and poured them two glasses.

"So, what time did Ed leave this morning?"

"Shortly after five. I hope we didn't wake you up. We're kind of loud, now that the children are gone." Erin could feel the heat in her cheeks and she took out the toast, setting it on the plates.

"No, I was awake then myself, sort of. I drank too much last night and my bladder chose to scream at me at that time. I swear, I won't tell anyone what I heard."

"Penny!" Erin swatted her friend's shoulder lightly.

"What? I'm glad to find another person who giggles and laughs that much while making love." She opened the jar and spread some jam on her toast and then took a bite. Erin put on her own jam and then looked at Penelope.

"It didn't hurt." She couldn't meet Penelope's eyes, instead focusing on her lips.

"I'm sorry?"

"When we made love, it didn't hurt. I was expecting it to ache, given the last time…" Erin broke off, not able to voice the words. Penelope patted her shoulder lightly, her lips curving up in a smile.

"Ed loves you, Wisp. And your magnificent breasts."

"You heard that part?" Penelope nodded. "Wonderful." Erin buried her face in her hands, not able to look at Penelope. "I'm never going to live this down."

"Okay, I'll give you an embarrassing story about me, so you won't feel alone."

"What could you possibly say that would top what you heard?"

"Back when Kevin was still in the picture, I once called him Rossi by mistake." Erin giggled. "Oh, sure, giggle away, but it was über-embarrassing." She looked away from Erin. "He wasn't very happy with me."

Erin felt her brow furrow as she watched Penelope's face. "Did he hit you after that?" Penelope nodded. "Oh, honey, and you still stayed with him."

"He was all I had. After Battle, my worth compass wasn't pointing to true north. It was only the one time, though. I think he knew that if Derek found out he was hitting me that it would not end well for him."

"Ah." They finished eating in silence and then quickly washed the dishes. "I can still fire him, you know."

"Thanks, Wisp, but I don't want to antagonize him further." Penelope turned to Erin, a wobbly smile on her lips. Erin recognized that look, having seen it on Allie's face numerous times. She opened her arms and Penelope fell forward, crying on Erin's shoulder. "I was with him for three years. I don't know how to be alone anymore."

"But you're not alone, honey. You are surrounded by wonderful friends and a man who worships the ground you walk on. He loves you, and you love him. Don't let that slip from your grasp." The doorbell rang and Penelope let go of her.

"That's probably CSU. Punctual as always." She wiped her eyes clean of tears and smiled at Erin.

"I'll go let them in." Erin went to the door and opened it. "Thank you for getting here so quickly. There was no further damage done besides what you can see here."

"All right, we should be done in about twenty minutes or so. Would you like us to leave the door open or to close it?"

"Whatever works best for you, Jared. Penelope and I will be in the den waiting for you to finish. Obviously, the door will be unlocked, so just come let us know when you're leaving."

The young man nodded and shut the door, and Erin slumped her shoulders. He was young enough to be her child and here he was, investigating crime scenes. Penelope appeared from the kitchen, a small smile on her face, and they went into the den, curling up on the couch. Penelope's cellphone rang, breaking the silence of the room, and she pulled it out. "It's Morgan. Hey, Sugar. Yeah, the unsub left her a message on the front door this time. We'll probably be in within the next two hours. Oh dear, all right. Just leave me the details and I'll play catch up when we get there. Stay safe in Georgia. I love you, too. Bye."

"New case?"

"Uh huh, child abduction in Georgia."

"What's the clock at?"

"They're not sure. The mother discovered her daughter missing when she went to get her up for school. I hate cases with kids. Those are always the worst."

"Oh, I know. It's much easier to distance yourself when the victim is an adult." Penelope nodded and leaned against her, throwing an arm over her stomach. Erin played with her hair, twirling it around her fingers. "When they catch the unsub, we'll still be friends, right?"

"Of course, Wisp. I can't just end a friendship like this." Penelope smiled up at her. "Besides, we know sex secrets about each other."

"There is that." Erin tapped Penelope's nose softly with her index finger. "So, how are things on the Derek front?"

Penelope blushed. "We're just friends. It can't be more than that, even if you approve it. Director Shepperd would split us up in a heartbeat." Erin looked at her in surprise. "I did some digging after we talked the other day. I know, and I understand."

A comfortable silence fell over them and thirty minutes later, Jared came into the room. "The door is all taken care of. The paint came off a little harder than I expected it to. We'll rush the results to Agent Hotchner and hopefully we'll have found something that helps." He shook her hand and then left them alone once more.

"Why was he so kind?" Erin asked as they stood. "I don't even know him."

"It's probably a combination of things. No one likes when one of their own is hurt. Aaron also commands a lot of respect among the people at the Academy. And you're with me. It's the Garcia effect." Penelope hugged her and she returned the embrace. Together, they walked out to the garage and got in Erin's car. "Thanks for driving me to work today. Since I'm still your shadow and all."

"And all." Erin drove quickly to work, knowing they were pressed for time. The traffic was backed up and as she passed a four car accident, she understood why. Finally, she pulled into her parking spot, almost two hours late for the day. Taking her briefcase and purse out of the back, she walked with Penelope into the building.

"Why don't you come up to the tech cave with me for a little while? I'll need an extra pair of hands and eyes to get me caught up on this case they're on."

Erin smiled. "I suppose I could do that. I have enough work to last me the morning here in my briefcase and we can get Holly to bring us lunch."

"Ooh, Chinese again?"

"If that's what you want." They stepped out of the elevator and went into the bullpen together. The other men and women were growing accustomed to seeing her there, it seemed, and hardly anyone looked up as they climbed the stairs up to Penelope's office.

Once inside, Penelope picked up her pad and sat on the couch while Erin called Holly, letting her know where she was and telling her to come get their lunch order at 12:30. "You do realize that's only three hours away, right?"

"Yes, Holly. And when you come to get our order, bring a new stack of files to me. I'm going to be working with Penelope all day. No, she asked for my help today." She cut off Holly's words with her last sentence, knowing the girl would try to object to her plans.

"Fine, I'll see you in a few hours, Ma'am." Holly hung up a little forcefully and Erin shook her head a bit. Penelope was right, she needed a new assistant.

"What's wrong?" Erin looked over at Penelope. "Your jaw is clenched. That's one of your tells."

"You know my tells?"

"Yeah. Watching over you while you've been so open to me has let me get to know you quite well. Now, what's wrong?"

"It's just Holly. I like her and all, it's just, she's so young and judgmental. She's upset I'm spending the day here, though God only knows why. This way she gets to spend more time talking to her boyfriend or playing Farmville." Erin sighed. "But it's not like anyone else would work under me."

"If you could clone me, I would gladly work for you. We get along well enough."

"Well enough? You've seen me at my worst and my most vulnerable and you still like me. Would that I could clone you." Erin tuced a piece of hair behind her ear. "Now, about this case in Georgia. What do we know?"

"Maddie Kent, age ten, went missing from her home sometime between midnight and six in the morning. Her mother checked in on her before she went to sleep and when she went to wake her up for school, she was gone."

"Is Ms. Kent still with the girl's father?"

"Yes, but he's on a business trip to San Diego at the moment. His alibi checks out, as he was asleep in his hotel room and security footage shows no trace of him out of his room until the police knocked on his door at three thirty local time."

"So that rules him out. Do either of them have any outstanding debts? Something that would suggest ransom and extortion?"

"Not that jumps right out. But let me run with that." Penelope got up and went over to the computers, tapping away at her keyboard. Erin pulled out a case file from her briefcase and began to look it over. It appeared to be in order and she signed off on it, starting a finished pile on Penelope's coffee table. The phone ringing startled her and she looked up to see Penelope answer. "Hey, Sugar, you've got me and Erin here."

"Hey pretty ladies. We've had a turn in the case. Three minutes ago, a ransom note was delivered to the Kent home. It demands five hundred thousand by nine tonight. The unsub knows we're here and told us to stay away in the note."

"That's never good, Agent Morgan."

"Hey, hey, it's either Derek or Morgan. There's no need to call me Agent. You've earned that right." Erin smiled. "And yes, you're right. This is not a good thing. The crime lab here is testing the paper for prints and as soon as they're uploaded, I need you to run them through CODIS. If he's not there, I don't know where that leaves us."

"Derek, we'll find them and bring her home. Maddie must still be alive if there's a ransom demand."

"Too true, Doll Face. Talk to you ladies later." He hung up and Penelope whirled around to look at Erin.

"So, until those fingerprints come through, I've got time to spare. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Erin looked at the pile of files in her briefcase. "I have so much to catch up on, Penny. But I don't think there's anything you can help me with. Unless you feel up to scanning these files and making sure everything's there."

"That, I can do." Penelope grabbed a stack of files and began to flip through the first one. "So, besides going over our previous cases and looking for new ones for the teams, what else do you do here?"

"Budget meetings, allocating funds for our department, hobnobbing with upper management."

"That sounds like so much fun."

"Oh, it is. Cocktail parties where I drink cheap champagne and try to laugh at horrible, sexist, jokes and avoid the groping hands of those who have had too much to drink. Thankfully, Ed comes to a lot of those parties and can keep the wolves at bay." She looked at Penelope over the file in her hands and smiled. "There can be perks, though."

"Such as?"

"Getting JJ back without a fuss. I know David wants to take credit for that, but when I found out he was trying to get her here once more, I smoothed the way. I was forced into that transfer by above and it never sat well with me." The door opened and they looked up to see Agent Anderson closing the door behind him. "Can I help you, Agent?"

"I was hoping not to include you in this, Penelope, but you never leave her side. How can you shadow a bitch like her, huh? She let my Gina go, and with this current economy, she can't find a job."

"In a week? You honestly expected her to get something that quickly?" Erin asked, her mind reeling from the knowledge of who her rapist was.

"Shut up you stupid whore!" he hissed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a wicked looking knife. Both Erin and Penelope gasped and her friend clung to her arm tightly.

"You'll never make it out of here if you do something stupid, Agent Anderson. Is this how you want to end your career?"

"Oh, I'm not going to do anything here. You'll be coming with me, you frigid bitch." He waved the knife at them. "You are going to walk out of here with me without raising a fuss and Penelope is not going to say a word to anyone here, or else my knife might slip and your precious Erin might die." He narrowed his eyes and took hold of Erin's arm. "Now say your last goodbyes."

Penelope was openly crying and Erin hugged her tightly. She felt her slip something into the pocket of her skirt and then she rubbed her back. "I will find you, Erin Joy. You are not alone and the monster will not eat your heart. I know it's only been a week that we've been friends, but I love you. And Ed loves you."

"Enough of the yammering, ladies. It's time to go." He roughly took hold of Erin's arm and yanked her away from Penelope.

"_Ich liebe dich, meine Freunde._" She pulled her arm out of his grasp and followed him out the door. "You will see no fear from me, Agent Anderson. That I can promise you."

"Oh, I have my ways, Chief Strauss." Her mind anxiously looked for a way out and then she felt the knife stab into her side a little. He could probably stab her in such a way that she would die before help arrived. Once more, her need for self-preservation won out and she willingly got in the elevator.

By the time they got in the car, Erin had figured out that Penelope had slipped a cell phone inside the skirt pocket and she relaxed a little, knowing the GPS in the device would track them and she would be found before anything happened to her. Anderson noticed the smile on her lips and narrowed his eyes slightly. After driving for ten minutes, he pulled into a deserted parking lot. "What are..?"

"I want you to take the cell phone out of your pocket and give it to me." He took out his gun and pointed it at her head. She felt a wave of despair wash over her and she did as ordered. "Very clever of Penelope. Too bad she forgot I'm part of the BAU as well." While he threw the phone out the window, she tried to open her door, only to find it locked. "There's no way out, bitch. Child safety locks."

Erin felt her eyes prickle with tears and she curled her hands into fists, desperately trying to come up with another plan of escape. They drove on, finally coming to a seedy motel in a shady part of town. He locked her in the car as he went in the office and she used that to her advantage. Waiting a few moments to make sure he wouldn't come right out, she unbuckled her belt and leaned over to push the child lock button. Once it was off, she opened her door and stepped out, only to run into his chest.

"Too slow, bitch. Now let's get to our room." He gripped her arm painfully and led her over to a room on the end of the strip. Holding the gun to her side, he had her unlock the door and she knew in that moment she would never leave this room alive. He held the gun on her as he locked the door. "I only have a little bit of time before I have to get back and keep an eye on Penelope. It's just so convenient that her team is in Georgia. There's no one who will be able to find you."

"Not yet, you mean. Someone will find me and make you pay. What's to keep me from leaving this room or calling the cops?"

"This." He pointed the gun at her once more. "Strip, slowly. Make no sudden movements or my finger might slip, and we wouldn't want that, now would we?"

Erin shook her head and shrugged out of the suit jacket and then unbuttoned her shirt. It was hard to let the blouse fall to the floor, since she knew his eyes were raking up and down her body. As she unzipped her skirt and let it fall to the floor, she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide herself from his slimy gaze.

"I don't think so. Every piece of clothing." Sighing, she unhooked her bra and defiantly threw it to the ground.

"Do you like what you see?" she taunted, refusing to touch her panties.

"It's just a canvas for me to do my work. Lie on the bed." He advanced on her, the gun never wavering from the vicinity of her heart. She did as told and he pulled out two sets of handcuffs, quickly cuffing her right arm to the bed as he straddled her body. Switching the gun to his other hand, he cuffed her other hand to the opposite side of the headboard. "And don't think I'll leave you with those on," Anderson hissed as he tugged off her panties.

Stuffing them in the pocket of his pants, he turned on the television, loudly, before walking out the door. As soon as Agent Anderson had disappeared, she burst into tears, letting her terror out. "Please, God, let Penny find me. Give me a miracle, as I don't want to die today, here, like this," she whispered, staring up at the ceiling, unable to find a way out of this horror.


	6. Chapter 6

The news had made no mention of her abduction and that both worried and comforted her. Sometime in the middle of that asinine new food show, she'd fallen asleep, the adrenaline rush taking out all of her energy. She woke up during _One Life to Live_ and used the show to take her mind off what was happening to her. Her stomach growled loudly and she tried to ignore the pain of that and the way her arms were pulled at awkward angles.

The soap had just finished for the day when she heard the lock in the door wiggle. Looking up at the door, she tried to contort her body enough so that it would be hidden from his gaze when he entered. "Erin!" Penelope cried as she came inside, quickly closing the door behind her. "Thank God!" She rushed over to the bed and threw her arms around Erin's waist, a low sob breaking forth from her lips.

Erin felt her own sobs rip out of her body and Penelope clung to her all the more tightly until the tears had run their course. "How did you find me? Anderson threw out the cell phone you slipped me."

Penelope stood and covered Erin with the thin sheet on the bed before sitting next to her once more. "The phone was a decoy, to make him feel safe and let down his guard a little. Over the weekend, I put a small tracking bug in your watch."

"That's clever."

"After Reid was abducted, I didn't want to lose track of any of my family. All of them have the chips in their watches. Do you feel comfortable with me bringing Sam and Micl inside now? We have to go over the plan with you." Erin nodded and smiled at Penelope, her heart lifting as she knew she'd make it out alive now. "Okay. I'll be right back." Penelope stood up and went over to the door, opening it for the other men.

Mick looked around the room before checking out the bathroom. "It's going to be a tight squeeze, Sam, but we should be able to make it work. Are you all right, Ma'am?

"Except for my arms aching, I'm fine. He hasn't hurt me yet."

"Wonderful. All right, this is the plan. Penelope has rented the room next door and when Holly calls, she's going to bang on the wall three times. When you hear her knock, tell us, we'll be hiding in the bathroom."

"All right. But what does that indicate?"

"That Anderson has left the building. We are going to catch this bastard red-handed, but before he hurts you again."

"How? I thought he was keeping tabs on you, Penelope."

"I used my new cellphone to call Sam and had him meet me at the café down the street. Holly was actually quite helpful, too. We're of a size, and both blonde, so we swapped clothes when she came up to get our lunch order. I set up my monitors to watch Anderson at his desk, and then the opportunity arose to sneak out."

"Thank you, all of you," Erin said as Penelope sat close to her once more.

"I have about half an hour to stay with you, and then I should get to my own room. The men will wait outside until I leave." They nodded and left the room, shutting the door behind them. "Did he hurt you again?"

"Not yet, praise God. He's planning on doing that when he gets back. You promise me that he won't rape me again?"

"I do. I will not let him do that to you again. Do you need me to get you anything?"

"I'd ask for a drink of water, but I don't want to humiliate myself further."

"Oh my gosh, I didn't even think about that. Honey, do you need to use the facilities?" Erin looked away from her friend and nodded, certain she was blushing. "One second then." She went to the door and spoke lowly to Sam. "Here, I'll undo your cuffs long enough for you to go. But I have to lock you back up. I'm so sorry."

"I know." Once she was free, she slipped inside the bathroom, relieving herself quickly. After washing her hands, she went back into the other room, one of the bath towels wrapped around her body. She sat next to Penelope on the bed, leaning against her. "You'll have to hang the towel back up for me."

"I know. I hate seeing you so vulnerable."

"And I hate being vulnerable. You called me Erin Joy earlier."

"Yeah, I heard Ed call you that. It seems to fit you." Penelope wrapped her arm around Erin, holding her close. "I also went ahead and called him to let him know what was going on. We're going to take care of you tonight, pamper you, all right?"

"Okay. I don't know what I did to deserve a friend like you, Penny. You are exactly the balm I needed to heal my soul. I love you, truly, as a dear friend."

"You told me that in my office."

"I hoped you understood that. When I'm stressed, I tend to revert back to German. I took it for six years as my foreign language, and fall back on it too much. And I'm babbling again. I hate when I do this."

"You're entitled to babble at a time like this." Penelope turned her head and kissed her temple. "The first order of business will be a long bath and while Ed makes supper, I am going to put my magic fingers to good use and work all the kinks out of your arms and back. Then, after we eat, we're going to marathon the funniest movies I can think of. It will be like a grown up sleepover."

Erin found herself laughing lowly and she looked at Penelope. "We'll have to get some wine to go with our sleepover. I want to get blindingly drunk and push this nightmare from my brain."

"We can so arrange that." Penelope glanced down at her watch. "It's time, Wisp. I don't want to do this."

"I know, I know, but this will all be over soon." Erin stood and crawled beneath the sheet before pulling the towel off her body and handing it to Penelope. The other woman went into the bathroom and hung the towel up before rejoining her. Slowly, Erin raised her arms, trying to ignore her screaming muscles. She closed her eyes as the cold steel closed around her wrists once more.

"Soon, Erin Joy." Penelope kissed her cheek lightly and then left the room, her eyes clouded with tears. Sam and Mick came back in and Mick went straight into the bathroom while Sam sat next to her.

"We're going to take him down, but he might hurt you a bit before we can get out into the main room. I talked to Aaron, so I know what Anderson did to you, and I will promise you, on my honor, that he will not rape you again."

"Thank you, Sam." He patted her shoulder lightly and went into the bathroom, closing the door slightly. Silence fell over her and she listened with half an ear to the television. Time went by so slowly, but just as the evening news came on, she heard three loud raps on the wall across from her. "That's the signal, Sam," she called out, not expecting to hear an answer from him.

The time dilation increased, with each second seeming like an hour to her. Finally, she heard the lock turn and the door opened. Turning her head, she saw him enter the room and then fasten both locks. "I always knew you were a clever bitch," he muttered as he came over to her side and yanked the sheet from her body, baring her to his gaze once more. "Now to finish what I've started." He straddled her body and pulled the knife out of his pocket.

"There's more to this than Gina losing her job. Why are you doing this?"

"You've never seen me. Despite everything I've done for you, all the errands, and the spying, and the awful way you treated Agent Hotchner after the murder of his wife, you've never taken the time to acknowledge my presence. Gina was the last straw. Someone had to get you in line and it had to be me."

As he babbled on, she watched the bathroom door slowly open from the corner of her eye. Mick crawled along the floor and positioned himself behind Anderson, nodding to her. She fought to not nod back, knowing she'd give them away. "You won't get away with this, you know. Penelope knows what you've done and will tell Agent Hotchner. He will hunt you down like the dog you are."

"Shut up!" He dropped the knife and backhanded her across the face. In that split second, Sam burst from the bathroom, pointing his gun at Anderson. He scrambled for the knife, but Mick stood and wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him to the ground.

As he twisted and turned, trying to escape, Sam pulled out a set of handcuffs and got his arms behind his back, securing him. Anderson tried to head-butt the larger man and moaned lowly as Sam elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't do anything else stupid. We need to bring you in alive." Sam went over to the wall and banged twice before going to the door and unlocking it.

Within seconds, it seemed, Penelope was being let in and rushing to her side, covering her with the sheet once more. "Do you have the key, Sam?" she asked lowly and he tossed it to her. Quickly, she let Erin free from her restraints and then she was hugging her tightly as they both burst into tears. Erin clung to her friend, the realization that the nightmare was over flooding her brain.

Once the men had left the room with their struggling captive, Penelope let go of her. "Thank you, Penny. You saved me."

"Well, I think it was Sam and Mick that did most of the hard work. I just found you." She picked up Erin's clothes and held them out to her. As Erin took them, she wrapped her in another hug. Erin melted into the embrace, needing the gentle, reassuring touch of her friend. "Now, let's get you dressed and home."

"Okay." Erin hurriedly dressed, not missing the panties Anderson had taken, knowing she would never have let them touch her body once more after being in his hands. "I wish I could do something with my hair," she whispered and then Penelope was whipping out a comb, dragging it delicately through her hair and then putting her hair up into a quick French braid.

Penelope rested her chin on her shoulder and sighed. "When I grow up, I want to be like you."

"What? You want to be a bitch people despise?"

"No. I want to be bold, brave, and thoroughly loved by the man of my dreams. I want to be able to trust my friends enough to let them help me, no matter what. And I want the grace to deal well with those who don't like me." Erin smiled and turned to look at Penelope.

"Are you sure you're talking about me?"

"Of course I am. Let's go home." They stood and Erin let Penelope wrap her arm around her waist. Once in Penelope's car, she curled up in the seat, watching Penelope as she drove. "What's going through that mind of yours, Wisp?"

"The nightmare is over, and I'm free. Why do I still feel so lost?"

"You're still in shock, honey. When you wake up tomorrow, it may hit you. Or you might push it to the back of your mind and weeks later it will come back to hurt you. Does your face hurt much? It looks like you're bruising. What happened?"

"Anderson pulled out a knife and I panicked. So I started taunting him and he backhanded me. I don't think he split my lip, but it hurts, a lot. One more bruise to try and hide." Erin sighed and let her eyes close as she listed to Penelope hum along to the woman singing. "Who is that?"

"Adele. I love her music."

"Ah." Erin looked out the window some time later and saw Penelope was pulling into her driveway. Ed was waiting at the front door with a mug and a warm blanket. "Edward," she whispered as Penelope stopped the car in front of the door. She threw it open and ran to him, tears falling down her face once more as he wrapped the blanket around her, easily picking her up.

"Did he?"

"No. They stopped him before it got that far." She lifted up her face and he tenderly kissed her lips. "I love you, Eddie."

"I truly love you."

"I truly, madly, love you, but we don't have time to play the game right now."

"I know, sweetheart, but it's one of the movies you and Penelope are watching tonight. I have the den set up for that, with our movies and hers set out and about six bottles of wine."

"You're not going to stay up with us?" she asked as Penelope joined them in the front hall.

"No, you need a girl's night of pampering. Now take your tea and head upstairs to the master bath. I'll see you and Penelope in about ninety minutes for supper, okay?" She nodded and climbed out of his arms, letting the blanket fall to the floor. Holding out her hand to Penelope, she led her upstairs and began to run the water for her bath.

"Ooh, use this bubble bath. You'll smell heavenly," Penelope said as she picked through the basket of bath products next to the tub. Erin took the bottle from her hands and poured some in, watching the water foam up. "I'll wait for you in the bedroom."

"Leave the door open and we can talk," Erin replied as she unbuttoned her blouse and let it fall to the floor, followed by her skirt. She turned the water off and removed her bra, stepping into the warm bath. "You mentioned Dr. Reid's kidnapping earlier. What happened? Agent Gideon was never too clear in his report."

"I watched him die and be brought back to life. That case was so horrible. I had nightmares for weeks where I was in the place of Mrs. Douglas. I was ready to walk away from my faith, but Reid survived, answering my prayers. It was the one time I felt Gideon actually had forgiven and like me. And then he was gone a few months later."

"Why wouldn't Gideon have liked you?" she asked as she ran a washcloth over her skin, trying to get of his eyes off her.

"I let him down."

"The Fisher King incident was not your fault, Penelope. Did you exercise bad judgment? Yes. But you had no way of knowing that there was a psychopath stalking the seven of you. I remember Agent Hotchner's report of that case, and he commended you for owning up to the mistake and for being able to find out the information on the unsub so quickly."

"Really?"

"I wouldn't lie to you. Penny?"

"Yes, Wisp?"

"Last week, when I asked you to read to me, why did you cast yourself as Ruth to my Naomi?"

There was silence from the other room for a long few moments. As Erin stood and let the water drain, she finally heard Penelope reply. "You were so vulnerable, and I saw the way Reid looked at you in the parking garage and at the hospital. It broke my heart, Erin, and I knew I couldn't let you be alone. I made the right decision, because you are truly a wonderful friend."

Erin smiled as she dried off and then wrapped a towel around her body, going out into the bedroom. "I rather think you are the wonderful one, Penelope. Not many people would be kind to their enemy." Penelope grinned up at her, motioning for her to lie on the bed next to where she sat.

As Erin lay down, she heard Penelope sigh a little. "We're supposed to love our enemies, something I've ignored up until last week." Slowly, she began to massage Erin's arms, working out the knots in her shoulders and upper arms. Erin found herself quickly being lulled into a light sleep. "None of that now, we still need to eat and watch movies," Penelope whispered as she shook her awake.

Erin sat up and stretched, smiling at Penelope. "Run downstairs, I'll be there in a minute." Her friend nodded and left the room. Taking off the towel, she went over to the nightstand and pulled out a fresh pair of panties, putting them on before grabbing a long flannel nightgown. Once dressed, she went downstairs to find Penelope and Edward in the kitchen.

"Just in time, honey." Ed turned from the oven, holding onto a pan. "I made us duck."

"Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Not really, today." He kissed her quickly. "Unless you count the little exchange we had when you came home as doing so."

"Oh, that so counts." She kissed him again and Penelope cleared her throat lightly. "I keep forgetting that guests don't like to see their hosts playing tonsil hockey." Letting go of Ed, she took a seat next to Penelope while her husband served them. After he'd prayed, she didn't let go of his hand until they'd finished eating.

"I'll clean up out here. You go have fun with your friend. Stay up as late as you want, neither of you are working tomorrow."

"What?"

"Director Shepperd called earlier and I let him know that you two would need time to unwind after that incident. He wants to see you first thing Wednesday, though, sweetie." He kissed her forehead gently and took the plates over to the sink. Together, she and Penelope went into the living room.

"I'm going to change into my pajamas. Why don't you pick out which movie we'll start with tonight?" Erin nodded and watched Penelope pick up an overnight bag. While she was gone, Erin checked to make certain that _Truly, Madly, Deeply_ was in the DVD player. That didn't take long, and so while she waited for Penelope, she grabbed a bunch of pillows and some blankets from the hall closet.

Hearing movement behind her, she turned and saw Penelope come in. She was wearing fleece pajama pants and a thermal top, her hair up in two pigtails. "Hey you, you're wearing pants."

"The only time I ever wear pants is at night. I don't like how pants fit on me, normally." She sat on the sofa and opened the first bottle of wine, pouring them each a generous glass. Erin picked up the remote and sat next to Penelope, starting the movie. "Here you are." She handed Erin a glass and then settled back, pulling a blanket over her legs.

Erin had forgotten how much she'd loved this movie and found herself laughing and crying along with Penelope as the movie played. They'd finished off the first bottle of wine by the time it ended and while Penelope put in _Murder by Death_, Erin opened the next bottle, filling the empty glasses. "I don't know how many movies I can make it through. I'm already starting to feel tired."

"Put your head in my lap and let yourself go. I'll watch over you while you sleep." Penelope took down Erin's hair and ran her fingers through it as the movie played. Once it was over, she got up and put _Clue_ in. When she had sat back down, Erin stretched out on the sofa, resting her head on Penelope's lap.

"I love Tim Curry. Do you happen to have a copy of _Annie_?" she murmured as the movie began.

"I think I do. We'll watch it after this."

"Sounds good to me."

About halfway through the movie, Ed came in. "Can I get you ladies anything else before I go to bed?"

"Would you help us make the sofa into a bed? I don't want to do it myself later tonight."

"Of course, Erin Joy. Though you'll have to get up to do that." He held out his hand and she took it, letting him help her up. Penelope helped Ed pull out the sofa and they quickly made up the bed. He kissed her sweetly as he hugged her tightly. "Good night, my love."

"Good night, Ed. Thank you." They kissed once more and he went upstairs while she settled into the makeshift bed. _Clue_ finished and Penelope got up to find _Annie_ and put it in. Erin drifted off to sleep as 'Easy Street' played onscreen and she fell against her friend, smiling slightly as she felt Penelope's head fall against hers.


	7. Chapter 7

Wednesday morning, Erin woke up early and thumbed through her clothes. Knowing she had to speak with Director Shepperd that day, she wanted to wear something formal, and yet she wasn't in the mood to be somber. Finally, she decided to wear her new suede skirt and a cream blouse. Laying them on the bed, she pulled off her nightgown and padded over to the bathroom.

"Good morning, Erin." She glanced over at the bed and saw her husband smiling at her.

"Morning, Ed. Wish me luck today? I have no idea what Director Shepperd would want to talk to me about."

"You don't need luck, honey. God's on your side. Do you need any help in the shower this morning?"

He grinned at her, and she giggled lowly. "No, honey, I don't have time for help this morning. Though depending on how the day goes, I might need someone to help me unwind." She slipped behind the door and stepped into the shower. As the hot water rained down on her, she absently touched the fresh scar tissue on her stomach. She needed to find a way to reclaim this part of her, to make it hers, theirs, once more.

Washing her hair, she hummed lowly to herself, thinking about the way to move on. Finally, the water ran cold, and she turned it off and stepped out. As she wrapped a towel around her body, she squared her shoulders and went back into the bedroom. Stopping before the bed, she looked down at Ed. "What is it, Erin Joy?"

"Make this yours," she whispered as she dropped the towel to the floor. "I can't go to work until I know that every part of my body is loved and cherished and owned by you. I surrender."

He sat up and held out his arms. Erin stepped forward and he placed his hands on her hips, drawing her even closer. "I love you, Erin." He kissed her stomach tenderly and she bowed her head, letting the healing tears come. "You are my one and only, just as I am yours."

"But Anderson…"

"Stole something from you that I will give you back. He sought to destroy you and yet here you are, standing before me. You are still here with me." He caressed the scars lovingly and she sighed, the first hint of a smile creeping onto her face. "Forgive yourself, my sweetest love, and know that I see you as still wholly mine."

She knelt before him and he enveloped her in a tight embrace. "Don't ever stop loving me, Edward."

"I never will, Erin. Now go to work and be the confident, proud woman I know you to be."

Erin nodded and kissed him passionately. "Tonight, I want to lie in your arms and feel your hands mapping my body. All right?"

"Nothing sounds better to me. I'll have that to look forward to all day." He smiled at her as she stood and she sashayed over to the dresser, knowing he was watching her. Bending slightly, she took out a pair of lacy panties and wiggled into them, enjoying his low growl. "Keep that up Erin Joy, and you'll be late for work, meeting or no."

She laughed lowly and pulled on a matching bra. "You should get ready, too, Ed. You don't want to be late, do you?" Turning, she went over to the bed and shrugged into her blouse, buttoning it quickly and then put on her skirt. "I love you, Edward." She kissed him once more and then pulled out her badge and gun from the bedside table drawer.

"Have a good day, honey. I'll pray your meeting goes well."

"Thanks." She left the room and went downstairs, grabbing a bagel from the bread box as she went past, taking her keys off the table along with her cell phone. Ed's sweet touches had renewed her confidence and she was certain the day was going to be a wonderful one.

As she pulled into her parking spot, her cell phone rang. "Hi, Penelope. Are you here already?"

"Just pulled in the garage, actually. Is there still a spot by you?"

"Yeah. I'll wait for you here." Erin put her phone back in her purse and sat back in her seat, taking a deep breath. Her phone beeped at her and she pulled it out to read the new text message: _I quit. We decided to get married and I'm going with him to the base. Thanks for everything, Holly_, she read aloud.

Shaking her head, she watched Penelope park next to her. Grabbing her things, she stepped out of the car and leaned against the side as she waited for her friend. "Good morning, Wisp. How do you feel today?"

"Free. Or I was up until I got this text from Holly. I need a new assistant, apparently."

"She just up and quit on you? I hope you find someone more reliable this go round." Penelope laid her hand on her shoulder. "Ready to head up?" Erin nodded and Penelope slid her hand down to rest in the crook of her elbow. Together, they made their way up to the bullpen. "Do you want to have lunch today?"

"That sounds lovely. Meet me in my office at 12:30?" Penelope grinned and nodded. "Wonderful. Oh, and will you pray for me? I have to go up and see the Director in five minutes?"

"Certainly. Do you have any idea what he wants?"

"No, and that concerns me a little. But as long as I have Ed and you, I'm sure everything will be fine." She turned to leave and ran into Agent Morgan. "Hello, Derek."

"Good morning, Erin. Hotch told us the good news on the way home last night." He placed a large hand on her shoulder and smiled widely. "It was a very brave thing you did, trusting Penelope."

"I knew she would find me. A friend does not abandon someone, Derek."

"Too true." She began to walk out the doors when she heard his voice once more. "Hey, Pretty Lady." She turned and saw him grin as he stepped closer to Penelope.

"Yes?"

"You should smile more often. It shows your true self so well."

Blushing, she nodded and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before exiting the doors. Erin pushed the up button and waited, a nervous anticipation filling her stomach. Stepping onto the half-filled car, she tapped her foot absently as the elevator rose. Finally, the doors opened and she walked down the hall to Shepperd's office.

His secretary looked up from the monitor and made eye contact with her. "He's waiting for you through there, Chief Strauss."

"Thank you, Deb." She went over to the closed door and knocked softly, entering only when she heard him beckon. "You wanted to see me, Sir?" she asked as she closed the door.

"Yes, Erin. Please, have a seat." She chose the chair closest to the door and folded her hands in her lap. "No one was more relieved than I was when I heard Sam had taken down Anderson cleanly. It's small comfort to you, I can only imagine, that he's in custody."

"I'm just glad the nightmare is over, Sir."

"That it is. Just so you know, Sam and Mick were able to extract a full confession from Agent Anderson. He will be pleading guilty to rape, kidnapping, and attempted murder. He'll be going before the judge later today for sentencing, and we're pushing for thirty five years to life."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Well, we wanted to deal with the situation right away, Erin. There are always a few bad apples in any bunch, and I'm sorry you had to be the one he hurt. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better here?"

Erin sat back in her chair, thinking about what she could ask for. The first thing that came to her mind was the need for a new assistant. "Holly quit today, and I need a new assistant. I would like to pick my own from someone already on staff."

"And who would that be?"

"Penelope Garcia. She's been of immense help to me in the past few days and I would like her to be close to me."

"Aaron Hotchner's team depends on her a lot. Do you really want to take her away from them?"

"I know they do, but she also deserves a chance at happiness and that cannot com as long as she is the technical analyst for their team. By making her my assistant, I will let her have both the happiness she deserves and the ability to assist them. This is the only thing that I want. Will you please grant my request?"

He seemed surprised at her wording and shrugged his shoulders. "You'll have to tell her yourself, Erin. I'll approve the transfer."

"Thank you, Sir." They stood and she extended her hand. He gave it a hearty shake and smiled.

"You are most welcome, Erin. I hope Ms. Garcia remains your friend after this."

_So do I_, Erin thought as she went back down to her office. Sitting on Holly's desk was a large bouquet of flowers and she went over to them, finding the card buried amidst the lilies. "A little something lovely to brighten a happy day. Love, Ed," she read aloud. Picking up the vase, she went into her office and set them on the coffee table. She looked through the files on her desk and started with the longest one.

At 12:15, she heard someone knock on her door. "Come in," she called out, not looking up from her work.

"I'm a little early, I know, but I wanted to see how your meeting went." Penelope sat on the chair in front of her desk and rested her hands on her lap. "So, what happened?"

"I'll tell you over lunch. We'll have some things to discuss." Penelope nodded and Erin pulled her purse out of her bottom drawer, a nervous smile on her lips. Once in the elevator, Penelope linked arms with her, drawing Erin close. "Penny?"

"It's easy to be free with those I love, especially since Emily came back. Life is so short, so fleeting…" She sighed. "I know you've been working on being a different person, and I love the new facets we're seeing. I know some people, like Reid, do not see the change in you. If I trust you, though, they'll trust you."

Erin felt tears prickle her eyes and she sniffed slightly as the elevator came to a stop on the ground floor. They stepped out and she found herself holding Penelope's hand as they walked to her car. "I trust you, Penelope. There aren't many people I do. And yet, I'm afraid of losing your friendship due to one very selfish thought in my heart." She got behind the wheel and took a deep breath as she started the engine.

"There is nothing you could do that would make me not like you anymore, Wisp. I might not like a decision you make, but that's not you." Penelope smiled and she smiled back as she pulled out of her spot. She turned up the radio, not able to say anything to her friend at the moment. A few minutes later, she was pulling into the parking lot of Harry's. "Swanky eatery. Are you sure you want to bring me here?"

"You're worth it, Penny," was all she could choke out, suddenly overcome by emotion. As they walked inside the building, she felt herself beginning to wonder if she had made the right choice. They were seated in a secluded booth and Erin used the menu as a buffer between her and Penelope as she tried to regain some semblance of emotional control.

After their order was put in, Penelope reached across the table and captured her hand. "What's wrong, Erin Joy?"

"You see everything so clearly. Anderson pled guilty to a number of things, and Director Shepperd is going to press for the longest sentence possible. I believe he said the charges would stack up to thirty five to life."

"What a waste of a life. He was such a nice guy, it seemed."

"I know. And I destroyed something in him, caused him to snap." She stared into her cup of coffee as a few tears rolled down her face. She had pushed this to the back of her mind in her quest to move on. "I ruin everything I touch."

As she wiped the tears away with her fingers, Penelope slid into the booth next to her. A warm arm wrapped around her waist and she leaned against her friend. "Honey, you know that's not true. Look at your relationship with Edward and your children. Look at our friendship." Penelope wiped a few stray tears off her cheek and then delicately kissed it.

"You're going to hate how selfish I've been."

"That's the second time you've intimated that today. What is really going on?"

Erin sighed and pulled away from her. "Director Shepperd gave me a boon of my choosing." She looked into Penelope's warm brown eyes and felt her heart clench. "I asked for you, and he agreed. You're my new assistant."

"Oh." Penelope pulled away a little more, biting her lip. "I'm not going to be a technical analyst any longer?"

"Well, I was thinking about that. I would not begrudge you helping Agent Hotchner's team with their searches." She looked back into her coffee, searching for the answers, the words, to tell Penelope. "I just wanted someone close to me that I trust. I can tell him to reverse the order." She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle the sob that came to her lips as she felt her heart shatter. Maybe she had expected too much from Penelope. Maybe she wasn't meant to have close friends.

"Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee." Erin looked up into those soft, warm, eyes and felt a tremulous smile cross her lips. "For wither thou goest, I wilt go. Wisp, I love you. If you need me, that's okay. I'm just a little shocked at the suddenness of it all."

Penelope grinned and Erin leaned against her once more, her anxiety lifting from her shoulders. "Really?"

"Yes, really. Though I'm not sure how the others will take it." Penelope clasped her hand and squeezed tightly. "And it might be nice to get away from 24-7 gore." They dug into their food and Erin found herself looking at Penelope through the corner of her eye, making sure she was still there.

"Do you forgive me for being selfish?" she asked as they waited for desert to come.

"It's not selfishness to want a friend close. Are you honestly going to let me assist Hotch's team?"

"Of course I am. I know how close you are to all of them, especially with Emily's recent return." She broke off a piece of the large chocolate brownie and ate it. "I don't want to separate you from them. I just, I don't, I don't know…"

"Want me with you as well?" Erin nodded. "It's always lovely to know you're wanted." They finished the confection and as Erin settled the bill, Penelope pulled out her cell phone. "Would you mind taking a picture of us?" she asked the waiter with a sunny smile on her face.

The man nodded and Penelope pulled Erin close to her. "I must look awful, Penny. A picture now? Really?"

"You look lovely, Wisp. Now smile." Sighing, she smiled at the phone and heard the click of the camera. Penelope took it back from the waiter and showed Erin the picture. "See, you're beautiful. And now, this is my new wallpaper on my phone. Are you ready to head back?"

"Yes."

"Good. And I'll strong arm everyone into helping us move my tech cave into the new office." They stood and Penelope took hold of her hand, threading her fingers through Erin's. "I'm actually kind of glad about this, Erin, now that this has sunk in. With being able to focus on only Hotch's team, I'll only see a little of the guts and grime."

"And you'll be able to get closer to Derek now, too."

Penelope blushed and looked down at their entwined hands. "There is that, also. Do you think he likes me like that?"

"Honey, he loves you just as you love him. Go for it, I'll support you all the way." She squeezed her friend's hand. "Life, I'm learning, is too short to not take chances."

Once they stepped foot in the bullpen, Erin knew word had gotten out about Penelope's transfer. She received glares from every member on Agent Hotchner's team and she felt herself shrink into Penelope just a little. Penelope refused to let go of her hand and dragged her over to Derek's desk. "Hey, Hot Stuff. I take it you heard about my promotion."

"I'd hardly call it that, Baby Girl. I thought you'd changed, Erin. Turns out you were just waiting for the perfect time to split us up."

"Derek, please, listen…"

"Why should I listen to a single word that comes from your lying mouth?"

She hung her head, and tried to pull away from Penelope, needing to escape, to hide herself away from these people. Penelope refused to let go, instead pulling her all the closer and slinging an arm around her waist. "Sugar Bear, you know I've been feeling burnt out. This summer did nothing to change that. Remember? Seventeen cases in fourteen weeks? Plus my other workload. And then Emily came back. Erin is offering me some semblance of peace and I'm taking it."

"But…"

"No buts, Derek. Gather everyone up and bring them to my office." Penelope led Erin up the stairs and she followed willingly, glad to be away from them. "Okay, so they're a little angry with us."

"You mean with me."

"But they'll get over that. We are going to make them understand why we're doing this. So, I'm going to want to tech up my new office. Do I bring these computers or requisition new equipment?"

"I'll get you new computers." Erin sat in the chair and swiveled to face the monitors. "Just tell me how much you'll need to still help out on Aaron's cases. I'm not too sure what you do here, so just make me a list and I'll get everything together."

"What do you mean?" Erin whirled around and saw Derek and Aaron standing in the doorway, the others behind them.

"Exactly what I said, Aaron. We both need her." She touched her stomach lightly and stared into his eyes, letting the tears prickle her eyes. He broke the look first and stepped into the room. The others followed him, with Emily closing the door behind her.

"So, I think we all need an explanation here," JJ said as she sat on the sofa next to Emily.

"It's simple, really. Holly quit to be with the love of her life and I needed a new assistant. After everything that's happened in the last week, I wanted to have a dear friend close to me every day. I know it's selfish of me to take her from you at a time like this. That's why she'll still be running your searches for you. With only one team to focus on, she can do both jobs."

Erin looked up at Penelope, who was smiling sweetly at her. "And I want to do this, guys. We'll still be together, I'm just expanding our family a little bit."

She felt the first few tears slip down her cheeks and closed her eyes, turning her face into Penelope's hip, unable to look at the others. Erin heard the shuffle of feet leaving the room and then the door closed once more. She felt a large thumb brush away the tears from her cheek and she turned into the hand, opening her eyes to see Derek crouching before her, a sad look on his face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered before pulling her into a tight hug. Erin found herself crying all the harder and he rubbed her back in slow circles. "I can be such an ass, really. I jumped to conclusions and didn't wait to hear you explain. Sorry it's such a pitiful welcome to our family, Pretty Lady."

"That's two times he's called you that, Wisp. Looks like you have a Morgan nickname now. Welcome to our family." Penelope enveloped them both in a warm hug, and Erin smiled, never feeling more loved by her friends than at this moment.


	8. Chapter 8

_Two week later…_

"So, did you have a good weekend, Penny?"

"I could ask the same thing of you, Wisp. You're practically glowing."

Erin grinned as she opened her office door, hanging her jacket up on the hook just inside. "Yeah, I know I am. Ed took me to a romantic bed and breakfast Friday night. We, well, we didn't see the outside much at all." She took a seat on the edge of Penelope's desk. "Now, tell me about your date with Derek. Or did a case get in the way?"

"No, we went out. It's still kind of weird to think of him as a boyfriend than as a best friend."

"Let him be both. Ed is to me." She looked at the pile of papers on Penelope's desk. "Are any of those mine?"

"No, I already put those on your desk. Two phone messages, a requisition for funds, and two case files to review. The new cases will be on your desk at one. Do you know what you want for lunch?"

"I was thinking Greek today. You can help me look over the cases while we eat." Erin got up and moved to the doorway.

"Hey, we were wondering if you and Ed wanted to have Thanksgiving dinner with us? I wasn't sure if any of the kids were coming home and I wanted you to not be alone."

"Who is us?" Erin asked as she turned, leaning against the doorjamb, a slight smile on her face.

"Derek and me."

"Tell you what, why don't you come over to our house? The kids are too far away to come home for a weekend, and I would love to have you in our home." Penelope grinned and she smiled back. "We could even cook together. I miss having my girls helping me in the kitchen."

Someone knocked on the door and they both looked up to see Emily there. "Hey, you both realize that there are two weeks until Thanksgiving, right?"

"There are people in this office who plan ahead, Emily the strange and wonderful. What can we do for you?"

"We have that new case to brief. I know it's a formality, but Hotch wants you there, pronto." Penelope nodded and stood up, heading for the door. "And would there be room at the table for one more?"

Erin met Emily's gaze and saw the honest questioning there. "Yes. There is always room at our table for one more. I'll see you in a little bit, Penny." She went into her office and took a seat behind her desk, going over everything Penelope had left out. It had been so easy to grow accustomed to the ebb and flow of her friend's ideas. Things were running much more smoothly as it seemed as if her every move was anticipated.

By the time she'd signed off on the last report, Penelope was back and setting up her laptop in Erin's office. "So, I'm already running searches for this case. Is there anything you need me to do?"

"Not really, no."

"Okay." Erin heard the soft tapping of her fingers on the keyboard and relaxed at the sound as she went over the requisition.

"Garcia!" They both looked up at Hotch's voice coming from the outer office.

"One moment, Hotch." She set the laptop on the coffee table and stepped out, leaving the door open just a little. "What can I do for you?"

"Your head was in the clouds for that entire briefing. What is going on with you? I would have thought being with Strauss would calm you somewhat. Instead, it seems like the last two weeks have made you all the more flighty."

"It's going to take me some time to settle into the dual roles, Sir. I used to be free like this, before everything of the past few years, remember?"

Erin heard him clear his throat. "Penelope, if you can't make this work, you'll need to choose who you'll stay with."

"That's a total no brainer, Hotch. I'd choose Erin in a heartbeat."

"What? Why?"

"Erin has needed a friend for a long time, and you profilers never saw that. All you ever focused on were the results of the decisions she had to make. I let my judgment be clouded by all of your perceptions despite evidence to the contrary. You know she's changed since the spring, and I rather love the person she's become." There was a long silence following Penelope's words.

"Jason would be proud of you, Penelope," Aaron finally said.

"Why would you say that, Hotch?"

"You're learning to see beyond the façade. It's easy to do with those we don't know, much harder to do with someone we've already formed an opinion of. He always stressed that to me. I guess I should heed his advice more often. We'll see you when we get back."

"Okay." Penelope came back in the office and sat on the corner of her desk. "So, you probably heard all that."

"It was hard not to overhear, you left the door open. I won't make you choose between your family and me…"

"Weren't you listening, Erin Joy? You are a part of my family now." Penelope touched her shoulder and Erin looked up at her friend. "I know I'll have a friendship with you no matter what, but I want to stay here. I've had my time there."

Erin stood and went over to the lone window, staring out at the November sky. "So, which case did the team chose to go on?" she asked, needing to move beyond the emotions she felt.

"Florida. Those are always the roughest cases. Is there something in the air down south?"

"I've often wondered that myself." Erin fingered the filigreed cross Edward had given her when he'd gotten back from his last business trip. "But it's hard to believe that evil concentrates in one area of our country." Turning, she smiled at Penelope.

"There is that." Penelope came up to her side. "If Derek is home on Friday, would you mind if the three of us cut out early? Derek wants to go on a double date."

"Where were you thinking of going?" Erin asked as they went over to the sofa and sat down.

"That's the thing, I have no idea. He wants to surprise us. I have a feeling your husband is in on this, since he said _we_ want to take our pretty ladies out." Erin laughed lightly and leaned against her friend. "I'd go with swanky, though. Knowing those two, we should be ready for anything."

The days passed quickly and soon it was Friday. At three, Penelope knocked on the open office door. "Just let me finish this one file, honey, and then we'll head out."

"Thanks for letting me drive to your house this morning," she replied as she sat on the desk. "I think I'm going to be a little too tipsy to drive home tonight."

"Don't you want to go home with Derek?" Erin asked as she signed off on the file, having been wondering about that all morning.

"Not yet, no. We've been friends for so long that I want to take things slow. Do you think that's silly?"

"No, I think it's lovely. Ed and I waited until we were married to be intimate." Erin stood and grabbed her purse, hoping the sound of the drawer opening covered her sigh. It had been a rough morning, as little things seemed to bring everything back to the forefront.

"Wisp, what is it?"

She should have known better than to try and hide from Penelope's all seeing eyes. As she stood up straight and faced Penelope once more, she tried to smile. "It's just, when I say something, or think of something, it brings the incident back. I had thought that Ed…" She trailed off, looking away from Penelope.

She felt Penelope grab her hand and squeeze tightly. "He still is. You gave Anderson nothing. All right?" Erin nodded hesitantly and let her friend pull her into a tight hug. "It's all about love, Erin Joy." As she released her, Penelope took hold of her hand once more. "Let's get going. No more sadness today, okay?"

"I'll try, Penny. I can't make any promises, though. I can't just turn off that part of me."

"I know. Battle did the same to me. There are still moments when he haunts me." Penelope smiled at her, though her eyes were clouded with pain. "Knowing I have wonderful friends like you, though, helps me so much." Together, they walked out to the elevators and rode down to the parking garage.

"Hey, Pretty Lady! Are you taking my Baby Girl home to get ready?"

Turning, they saw Derek come out of another elevator and he jogged up to them. "Yes. Are you going to give us any clue as to where we're going, Derek?"

"Ed didn't want me to say. All I can tell you is to wear something stunning." He caressed Penelope's cheek, grinning at her before leaning in to kiss her sweetly. "I want my beautiful ladies to feel and look gorgeous tonight." He touched Erin's shoulder, his smile softening slightly. "I'll be by at six this evening to pick you all up." He kissed Penelope once more before going over to his truck.

They continued on to her Lexus and she got in first, buckling her belt as Penelope put her things in back. "I'm not going to have to climb up in that tonight, am I?" she asked as she pulled out into traffic.

"No, Derek has a nice car for dates. It has a large front seat for necking." They both laughed and Erin tooled on home. As she pulled in the garage, she looked at Penelope.

"You remember where the guest bedroom is?"

"Yeah."

"Great. Put your things in there and then come help me pick out something to wear."

"Sounds like a plan, Wisp." They got out and Penelope went to her car, grabbing out a garment bag and a small suitcase. She held the door open and then went upstairs, slipping off her heels as she opened her closet to stare at her clothes. "So, what fancy dresses do you have?" Penelope asked as she wrapped her arms around Erin's waist and rested her chin on her shoulder.

"Here," she said as she pushed aside her work clothes to reveal a number of formal dresses. "I was thinking the royal blue cocktail dress."

"But you have so many beautiful purple dresses here. I think you should wear this tonight." Penelope reached around her to pull out an amethyst dress. It was floor length and had a slit up the side to her mid-thigh. The neckline scooped low and she began to think of everything she'd need to finish the outfit.

"If you want to shower first, I'll have to pick out everything to go along with this." Penelope nodded and then kissed Erin's cheek softly. "You'll make Ed _and _Derek jealous if you keep that up," she gently teased.

"Ah, they both know we live only for them. Besides, you're the only one who lets me do this. JJ and Emily are only when one of us is hurt." Erin turned and hugged Penelope.

"I wouldn't be this open if it weren't for you, Penny."

"The silver lining of a very black cloud, Wisp." Penelope broke free of her grasp and grinned. "I'll see you in about an hour." Erin nodded and the other woman left. Going to her armoire, she pulled out a pale lilac pashmina shawl and set in on the bed next to the dress. Then she took out a pair of black stilettos, adding them to the collection before raiding her jewelry box and taking out a long strand of pale purple cultured pearls and a matching pair of drop earrings. Finally, she gathered up underpinnings for the evening, including a garter belt to hold up a pair of gossamer thin hose.

With that finished, she stripped off her clothes and then hung up the suit before putting her underwear in the hamper. Padding into the bathroom, she stepped into the shower and let the water pound down on her. Taking hold of her loofa, she poured on some shower gel and quickly washed. The water ran cold and she shivered, turning it off. Opening the door, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body.

Humming lowly, she tied her hair up in another towel and then began to do her makeup. After spritzing on her favorite perfume, she let the towel fall to the floor and stepped back into the bedroom, quickly dressing. As she slipped the dress over her head, she heard the door open and she looked over her shoulder to see Penelope there. "Ah, you're just in time to zip me up."

"I need the same from you, too, Wisp." Erin nodded and her friend closed the distance between them. As she ran the zipper up her back, Erin shivered slightly. "This looks stunning on you."

"I should say the same about your dress, Penny. Red is an amazing color on you," Erin replied as she zipped the dress. "Would you mind doing something with my hair?"

"Sure." Penelope led Erin over to her vanity and picked up the silver comb Ed had bought her in Venice. "I love how your hair frames your face now. I just wish it were longer." She grabbed some bobby pins and Erin felt her nimble fingers pull the hair back and twist it. "A soft French twist, my dear. Would you braid my hair?"

She nodded and they switched positions, and Erin ran the comb quickly through her hair before separating the tresses into three parts. Her fingers flew through the locks, remembering doing the same for her girls once. As soon as she was done, she picked up the pick and pulled out little tendrils of hair, curling them around her pinky. Erin rested her head on top of Penelope's. "You are absolutely lovely."

"So are you." Erin smiled and Penelope reached back to clasp her hand. "We still have about an hour before our men will be here. What should we do?"

"We could go down to the den and talk. I know, kind of boring, but, I'm a bit of a homebody."

"No, that's fine. I like hearing stories about you." Erin nodded and Penelope stood, going to the door. Erin gathered up her shawl and a black handbag and followed her out. They walked down the stairs in tandem and Penelope was the first one in the den, curling up on the sofa. "Tell me about the rivalry you and Dave have."

Erin sat next to Penelope, bringing up one leg beneath her. "I was once friends with his second wife. She seemed like such a nice woman, so I sided with her when she came to me with her marriage woes. By the time I realized I was getting played, he despised me. And then he began to take great pleasure in needling me because he knew he could get a rise out of me. I played into his hand and then it became sort of fun to spar with him."

"Does he know you enjoy antagonizing him?"

"No, or at least, I hope not." Erin giggled slightly and then began to regale Penelope with stories of her early days in the FBI. She never heard her husband come into the room until his hands were on her shoulders and she looked up into his face. "Hi, honey. How was your day?"

"Excellent. We closed on the Copenhagen account today and I feel like celebrating with our friends. Are you ready to head out?" Erin nodded and stood, only to see Derek in the doorway, smiling at them.

"Hello Derek." She took Ed's arm and let him lead her out the door, followed by Penelope and Derek. "So, I take it the case went well. Did you have to kick down any doors this time?" she asked as he opened the car door for her.

Derek laughed loudly. "I see that's still following me. No, I was able to go a whole case without breaking down a door."

"I'm glad you're learning restraint. It's less of a burden on our shrinking budget." She tried to keep a straight face as she looked at him in the rearview mirror, but failed. He grinned back and pulled out of the drive. As he tooled along, he and Penelope chattered lowly while Erin snuggled close to Ed. "Thank you."

"We haven't even reached our destination yet."

"I know, but I needed a night like tonight." She turned her head to kiss him and heard her friends giggle from the front. "Like you two haven't kissed before."

"But it's so cute, Wisp." She smiled at Erin and reached back. Erin clasped her hand and squeezed gently, holding on until Derek pulled into the parking lot of The 1912 Room. "Oh, Angelfish, I've want to go here forever. How did you know?"

"Just something I remembered from your conversations about Lynch never taking you anywhere nice. Ed and I wanted to show our beautiful princesses how special they are to us." Derek parked and got out of the car, going to the passenger door and helping Penelope out while Ed did the same for her.

"Reservations for Strauss," Ed said as they approached the podium. The young man nodded and led them to a secluded booth in the back. Erin quickly decided on the Sole Amandine and cradled her face in her hand as she watched the others. Their wine came and Ed poured the glasses while they ordered.

"So, Penny told me you've been helping out on our searches. How has that been going?"

"It's been interesting, to say the least. It's almost as bad as being out there on the field in some respects. Learning about what you do has given me a new respect for your team." She smiled and Derek patted her hand softly.

They lingered over their meal, sharing stories from their life. After Ed had settled the bill, he and Derek led them out onto the dance floor. A slow song was playing and Erin wrapped herself around her husband, putting her arms around his neck. "So, how much do I love you?"

"Not nearly as much as I love you." She kissed his cheek and then rested her head against his chest. The songs blended together and she found herself melting into his embrace more and more. "What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?"

"You loved me." Ed kissed the top of her head and let his hands creep down her body to rest on the swell of her butt.

"That I did, and still do."

"Hey, may I cut in for a dance or two?" Derek asked, dancing over to them.

"Of course you may." Erin disentangled herself from Ed and they switched dance partners. Derek whirled her out onto the floor and she found herself smiling widely at his moves. "Do you mind if I…" Erin didn't know how to finish her request, and he just smiled, seeming to know her mind. Gently, he pulled her a little closer until she felt herself stiffen a little, fear overcoming her willingness.

"So, Pretty Lady, Penelope tells me you two are making Thanksgiving dinner with Emily. Should I keep the fire department on standby?" Erin relaxed in his embrace as they both laughed, his easy banter putting her at ease.

"No, I have a fire extinguisher handy. They aren't that bad, are they?"

"Rossi almost lost his patience with Emily at our cooking lesson a few weeks ago."

"Ah. He's a man, though. I'm a mother." She splayed a hand out against Derek's chest. "Thank you."

"For what, Erin?"

"Being kind to me. You didn't have to be." She rested her cheek against his chest next and felt his chin come to a rest on top of her head. "None of you had to be, and yet, you took care of me."

"All it took was letting the right friend in. Penelope can clearly see to a person's heart, and she brought out the loveliness of your soul, even in such trying times." She felt his arms tighten around her a little more, and she returned the embrace, ready to let him take control of the dance once more. They made a complete circuit of the dance floor before he returned her to Ed.

Erin let him spin her around and she laughed lightly, enjoying the sensation. She gulped slightly as he pulled her flush against him, feeling his arousal. "Remember, Penny's coming home with us tonight."

"And she's an adult who can occupy herself after we go to bed." Ed kissed her and she smiled against his lips, her heart lifting even further. "I truly love you."

"I truly, madly, love you."

"I truly, madly, deeply, love you."

"I truly, madly, deeply, deliciously, love you, Eddie." She stole a quick kiss and waited for him to come up with the next word in the game, ever grateful than she had not let the monster eat her heart.


End file.
